Living Life Anew
by patrioticmerc
Summary: Ranma and Akane have been drifting apart since the failed wedding.  The story picks up several months afterwards without full resolution.  Follow-on story is Path of the Arts.     I'd stopped fully editing after Ch 3, so expect some of it to be "unrefined
1. Chapter 1

The characters from the Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi are used without license. This story is not for commercial use. It's just for the enjoyment of those who like to read the alternatives.

Notes: * - signifies thoughts

LIVING LIFE ANEW

CHAPTER I

THE PROM

It was a bright spring day and the wind picked its way through the leaves. The wind frolicked with the leaves, enjoying the dry rustle. The trees whispered with the wind, telling their story. It was a happy one and the wind continued on. The birds flew with the wind, catching it under their wings and they sang to it, too. In response to their kindness, the wind lifted them ever higher. Their joy was carried with the wind to the school and, thus, by the gymnasium where the sound of rambunctious youths worked on their projects. Pausing a moment, the wind swirled in front of the door to listen. Taking the laughter with it, the wind continued on its journey.

Inside the gym, a group of boys were starting to argue about whose banner was to be put up on the wall. The discussion had started ten minutes prior and had escalated ever since. Two of the boys were about to come to blows when they were suddenly quieted by a lone figure having walked up to them. All arguments ceased and they just stared at the goddess that stood before them.

"Why don't you put all of them up," she asked in her soft voice. Slowly the logic sank into the their teenage heads. It bounced around for a moment and finally settled, allowing them to finally make a response. Dumbly, they nodded.

Only one boy was able to pull himself out of his stupor and say, "Hai." Continuing her walk by the boys, Akane went about her business. They watched her walk away, wishing for her presence once more, but knew that such was not their luck. Soon, however, they were bickering again. Whose would go on top? Akane, hearing this, could only sigh at their antics. The one who had been able to answer jogged up to her. "Thanks for the advice, but could you help us out again? What I mean is, which one should we put up first?"

"Well, why don't you guys try to hang up the largest on top and then the smaller ones below it in order of size? That way everybody has theirs on the wall and it's ordered, instead of in disarray." The young man bowed his thanks and went back to his companions. She saw him gesticulating wildly at the banners and in her general direction as he talked to them. When he ended his speech, all of the boys looked over at her and waved in thanks. This done, they set about their task with abandon.  
>Akane turned around again and continued on her way to where she had been working earlier. Her friend, Sofi, was working with a small air tank. Using the tank, she would blow a balloon up and then tie it to a string. The balloons that were being amassed were to be strung from the corners of the ceiling to the center, where they would meet with the disco ball. She looked up from her task as Akane approached. Smiling, she finished the balloon she was working on and brushed her hands off.<p>

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "Did you get enough balloons to finish all of this?" Akane pulled out a bag of balloons from her skirt pocket. Eyeing the bag, Sofi said, "That might not be enough, but I guess we'll just have to make do."

"That's all I could find in the box from last year. We were more prepared for this than the juniors this year. How many banners did we need last year? They should have organized everything before they decided to just come in and start decorating." Akane looked behind her at the bustling gym.

A majority of the junior class was there, trying vainly to ready the gym for the prom night, which was only in three days. The past two days had met with disasters on a regular basis. That was, of course, until the seniors had heard of the problems and a detachment had been sent in to help with the preparations and give direction to the lost souls. Akane and Sofi had been the first to join in the endeavor, as they had experience from the prior year.

Students milled around the gym, trying vainly to be of assistance, but failing utterly. Some of the seniors gathered them up and set them to tasks and went in search of more of the junior class that was having a hard time.

Akane turned back around, smiling. "You'd have thought that, with all of the trouble our class has, we'd be the last to be helping out this year's junior class, ne? I'm glad that it's the last thing we have to do for this school, besides taking the final exams."

Sofi nodded, agreeing heartily. "That means that you can have Ranma to yourself now," she japed. The desired effect was accomplished, as Akane blushed.

"You really think I want to have that hentai? You're almost as bad as he is. Hentai," she accused. Akane started to work on the balloons again, trying to steer the conversation away from Ranma. "I wonder how the prom would have turned out if we hadn't decided to help."

Sofi, however, would not be deterred from the subject. "Have the two of you set up another date for the wedding yet? After the last one, you two have made some pretty good progress with each other, haven't you?" Her observation was far from the mark, as she saw from Akane's expression.

"Iie. Lately he's been keeping to himself. It seems like he's been avoiding me for the past several of weeks. I don't know why, though. He'll go for a walk at night and not return for a few hours. Sometimes he comes back in his female form and his feet are muddy. Other times, he just goes up to his room and sits there, meditating." She didn't know what to make of it.

"What, is he seeing someone else on the sly? I thought you guys took care of that problem quite some time ago." With a worried frown, she watched as Akane was remembering one of the incidents.

He'd suddenly stood up from the dinner table. Surprisingly, there were a few bits of food left on the plate. That didn't last long, as Saotome Genma swiped them and ate with abandon, savoring the taste. Not even a retort came to Ranma's lips for his father as he left the house, taking another one of his walks. She followed him to the gate, hoping to find out what the problem was with her fiancee.

"R-ranma? Is there something the matter?" He turned, a few steps away from leaving the Tendo's gate. "If there's a problem, you can always tell me."

"Nah, I've just got a few things on my mind." He never met her eyes as he shook his head and walked away into the night. Her anger flared, caused by his lack of response to her offer. How could he ignore her when she was going out on a limb and offering her help? Stalking out the gate, she turned the corner to see Ranma walking away, shoulders slumped and him kicking pebbles down the street, lost in thought. They bounced off of the light poles, causing them to make a tinkling sound as they bounced from the poles to the ground and settled once more. Her anger cooled, to be replaced by worry. She'd never seen Ranma like this.

Curiosity grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and she decided to follow. He eventually came to a nearby park. The streetlamps illuminated the grassy area that he stood in. Akane watched him begin the most complex kata she'd ever seen him do in slow motion, but it was one she didn't recognize. She held her breath, hiding in the shadow of a tree. It was a bit of a shock to see Ranma perform all of his moves in a slow, exaggerated manner.

Granted, she had watched him perform katas, but not this way. He was always moving at the speed of light, it seemed. To see him perform with such...control was astonishing.

After perhaps an hour, Ranma ended his kata. He'd repeated it several times, until finally he felt he'd gotten it down to perfection for the night.

Realizing what she was doing, she ran back home before Ranma could get back. Her father didn't seem to have noticed her absence, since he was playing shogi with Uncle Genma.

Coming back to herself, Akane looked a Sofi. "There's nothing like that going on. I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but it's got me worried." Trying to get the conversation on a lighter note to avoid the worry that was threatening to creep up on her, she said, "Well, Ranma is Ranma. You never know what to expect. Say, how about going to get an ice cream after school. It's only a half hour away."

Sofi's eyes lit at the mention of ice cream. Nodding vigorously, she said, "I'd love to. Your treat? You did offer, didn't you?" Akane only grunted, having been suckered into paying for Sofi's ice cream.

They finished the string that Sofi had been working on just as the bell rang, releasing all of the students for the day. Grabbing their bags, the two girls started off to the ice cream shop, dreaming about mounds of ice cream stacked on top of their cones. Soon their walk became a trot, then the trot became a full sprint. Giggling uncontrollably between breaths, they entered and ordered their favorites.

Sitting on a bench outside of the store, they enjoyed the sunny day as the wind played with their hair. The ice cream was consumed rapidly, but they slowed as they neared the cones, finally appreciating the taste more fully than the past few minutes.

Sofi looked up from her cone to Akane. "So, how did Ranma ask you to the prom? Did he get down on his knee?" Sofi heard a sharp intake of breath from her friend.

Akane's stomach sank, trying not to think of how she hadn't been asked. "Well,...no. He never asked me."

"How unromantic," Sofi interjected. "You mean he never even attempted to ask you? He's such an idiot."

"I guess that since we're engaged, we're supposed to go together," Akane mused. *He could have at least tried to be nice.* "We get a lot of pressure from our parents. Especially after the failed wedding. I dunno. It's hard to say with Ranma lately." Sofi watched Akane curiously, a worried crease knotting her delicate brow.

"You mean that your father and his parents have pretty much said that both of you are going anyway?" She continued to eat her ice cream and looked down at the sidewalk, wondering how Akane and Ranma's parents could be so insensitive.

"Yeah, Ranma's father keeps telling him that he has an obligation to the family. Ranma, lately, has just been shrugging him off. Not even a retort of any kind, when he'll usually fight with his father. And, when his mother mentions it, he just sulks. I don't know what's gotten into him." Akane remembered one incident, in particular, when Ranma had been bothered by his father about the engagement. She'd seen him start to flare up and then had deflated almost as suddenly. He'd just walked out afterwards, not even saying a word.

"So, did any of the other guys ask you this year? Everybody knows there's always half of the school that wants to take you out, even if you are engaged. Hmm?" This brought a brief smile to Akane's lips.

"There's been a few, but I declined."

"You didn't knock them through the wall, did you? Or is it that you really want to go with Ranma anyway?" Sofi saw Akane's smile grow larger, as with her blush.

"No, but I was tempted to a few times. Keiichi almost learned to fly when he was too persistent. When he saw that I was getting mad, he decided it would be better to be somewhere else. You should have seen his face." Both girls giggled at this. "But as for Ranma...I dunno. Sometimes he's so nice. Then he shoots off at the mouth and I get mad. What am I going to do, Sofi-chan? Each time our parents try to get us together, the harder we seem to fight it. Is there any hope for us?" She sighed, bewildered by the dilemma. "Well, I better be getting back home. I need to study some more for the finals. Ja mata, Sofi-chan."

"Ja mata, Akane-chan."

The girls parted ways and went home.

Ranma watched the others leave the classroom after the bell rang, putting his books into his bag. Picking up his bag, he headed for the door. Mr. Takaniri stepped up to Ranma as he was leaving. "Ranma, Mr. Ohibari asked to see you after class. If you would, please stop by his office." Nodding, Ranma continued on his way.

The halls were bustling with students as they prepared to leave. A few said their good-byes to Ranma as they passed by him and he acknowledged them with a smile and a wave. Going downstairs, he headed to the office of Mr. Ohibari. Ranma looked up to see the sign,

Mr. Ohibari Jiro Student Counselor

Knocking on the door, Ranma waited for a response before entering. Mr. Ohibari was sitting behind his desk, reading a memorandum. Not looking up from the letter, he motioned for Ranma to take a seat. Ranma took the proffered seat and waited, tapping his fingers on the arm and shifting his feet, impatient. Finished with his reading, Mr. Ohibari finally looked up.

"I've just received a letter from the college you applied to. Now, I know a little of your situation with the Tendo girl. Are you sure that you want to attend a different school? I don't mean to pry into the private lives of students, but I just want to make sure you know what you're doing."

Ranma took a moment to think how he was going to answer. He realized that he'd doing that a lot lately. Thinking before he spoke. Oh, how things change. "Yes. Our parents are set on us being married. But I think that with all of the stuff that's happened to us in the past two years, it is better for us to go to school away from each other for a while. We've fought a lot in the past. It's not like we're going to be on the other side of Japan, though. She's going to Meiko University, which is right next to mine.

"If we go to a different school, we might actually get along better. I haven't talked to anybody about it yet, but I think it's for the best. It doesn't mean that we can't see each other on a regular basis."

"I think Akane actually thinks very highly of you. In the past, you two have looked out for each other on more than one occasion. I've seen it myself."

"I just feel that it's better for us to be apart for a time, even if we are going to be so close to each other. She's going to be in the dorms and I plan to get an apartment off campus. Can I have the letter, please? I'd like to get home and do some studying. I've got to get good grades." He'd only recently caught up with his school work since having gone to China.

Mr. Ohibari shuffled some papers around on his desk, finally revealing the letter that was addressed to Ranma. Standing, he handed it over to Ranma. "I do hope you find what you're looking for. I just hope you're not running away from your problems. Someday, though, you will find what you want from life. But, until that day, take life one day at a time. I wish you the best of luck, Ranma." Ranma bowed, taking the letter and left Mr. Ohibari's office.

Once outside of the school grounds, Ranma finally opened the letter as he walked on the fence. It said,

Dear Saotome Ranma,

We congratulate you for your hard work in school. It is our wish to help further your education. The facilities for the students are numerous, as well as the activities supplied by our faculty. We hope that the surrounding area will be to your liking, as the community has reserved special trust in the welfare of the students. You need not fear of finding a job, as there are numerous requests to have students work in the surrounding area.

We have reviewed your records and find them to be satisfactory. We have enclosed some forms for you to fill out to help facilitate your quick entry into our college. A list of housing in the local area is also enclosed, as you requested.

We would also like to congratulate you on the scholarship you are to receive. As an applicant, your paperwork was submitted and you are to receive fees for a year's term in the form of a scholarship. This is to help you along in with your finances and your decision to attend our college. All you need worry about is the cost of the books for your classes. We hope that you will attend our college to further your education.

Mrs. Yamato Oyuki Admissions, Seko University

Ranma could only stare at the paper. Accepted? He'd feared that with the past problems of school he'd have trouble entering college. But such was not the case. Goose bumps rushed across his body as he thought of his good luck. Taking out the remainder of the papers from the envelope, he reviewed them. Several of the locations for housing were just about right. Not too far, and not too close. That way he'd have some privacy.

He continued home, reading all of the forms by the time he arrived. Taking off his shoes, he went upstairs and began filling out some of them. Tired of all of the paperwork, he went out into the dojo. Just as he was getting his stance for his kata, he heard Akane arrive at home her usual "Tadaima" ringing throughout the house. Dismissing this, he continued. As he went through his katas, he relaxed, mulling over how he was going to tell everybody about having been accepted to college.

Eventually he decided to hold off on the telling part. They'd just give him a hard time about going to a different school than Akane or not staying at the dojo to teach like they always did. *Ah, well that's family for ya.*

Just as he was finished with a kata, he heard Kasumi call everybody in for dinner. Bowing to the shrine, he exited to go eat. Ranma entered the house and saw his father at the table, waiting for the food to arrive. Grabbing his chopsticks, he sat down and waited. Eventually everybody was seated at the table and Kasumi brought out dinner. Then the battle for food ensued between him and his father, as usual. Near the end of the ritual, he lost his interest and stood to leave. Genma didn't take note of it except to steal the last morsels off of his plate, but Akane did.

Looking up at him, she frowned in worry. She finished her dinner and followed him upstairs. Knocking on his door, she heard him say for her to enter.

"Ranma, is there something wrong?" His back was turned to her as he studied. He had a book in hand and was sitting on the window sill, feet dangling outside. The sun was just going down, casting his shadow across the room, looking larger than life.

Without turning, he replied. "Nah, I'm just tired of messin' around with Pop. It gets old after awhile, ya know? Besides, I wasn't too hungry anyway." Akane took another step in.

"Well, if you want to talk, I'm here."

"Nah, what would a kawaiikune tomboy like you know, anyway?" Ranma said, slipping back to his abrasive manner. He didn't know why he did it, but regretted it immediately after. Akane bristled at the insult.

"Che. I was only trying to be nice. You don't have to be mean." She picked up the nearest heavy object and threw it at him, which happened to be his book bag. It bounced off his back and landed on the floor. She slammed the door on her way out. Ranma just looked behind him and sighed, rubbing his back and going back to his studying. His thoughts were muddled as he tried to decipher the ways of the female side of the species. Eventually, however, he was finally able to purge his thoughts and continue with his studies.

Meanwhile, Akane went to her room to fume. Taking one of her stuffed animals in hand, she sat on her bed. "What did I ever do to get treated this way? All I wanted to do was help and all he can do is insult me. That's what I get for trying, I guess." She thought of ways of getting Ranma back, but dismissed them all. It would only get her more insults and more injured pride. No need of that.

She eventually remembered that there was studying to be done and went about doing it. She could only study half-heartedly, still worried about Ranma. The day finally came to an end and she went to bed. Snuggling up with her stuffed animal, she went to sleep. She never heard the door open as Ranma entered.

He stood there, watching her as she slept. He was sorry for having said what he had. But he couldn't really tell her what had been bothering him. She'd have just laughed at him and called him a baka, or worse.

His heart ached to reach out and tell her how much he cared about her, but he dared not. It would only get him a mallet and another lecture from Kasumi about the proprieties of unmarried couples. Besides, she didn't care about him. She just felt sorry for him and his curse. Sighing, he went back to his room.

Genma slept soundly, emitting loud snores with each breath. Ranma kicked him over onto his side, trying vainly to alleviate the noise. It only gained him louder snores. Shooting a glare at his father, he laid down and eventually drifted off to sleep.

The Tendos and their perpetual guests sat at the breakfast table. The only sounds from Ranma and Genma were the occasional clash of chopsticks as they fought over a morsel of food and the continuous munching they made as they ate. Soun was reading his morning newspaper as usual. Looking up from it, he said, "Ranma, my boy, have you gotten your suit for the prom this Friday?" At mention of this, Ranma looked up in startlement. It was obvious by his expression that he had forgotten.

"Uh, ahem, I couldn't find one that I liked," he said lamely. Akane just glared at him. Noting her expression, he just gulped loudly. "I'll pick one up after school sometime." At this, Kasumi perked up.

Standing, she said, "Hold on a moment, Ranma. Your mother sent a package over yesterday. I'd forgotten it until now." Walking into the kitchen, she returned with a box. Handing it over to Ranma with a smile, she sat back down and continued to eat. Ranma could only smile weakly in thanks as he opened it.

Inside was a dark blue tuxedo. It didn't have the tails as his wedding tux had, but it was of a similar cut. Taking it out, he saw that it would fit him to perfection.

"You'll have to thank your mother for her foresight, Ranma," Soun said. Akane was still giving Ranma the evil eye as he put the suit back into the box. Sitting back down, he saw that all of the food that had been on his plate was gone. Looking over at his father, he saw the old man smiling at him and wiping his mouth with a napkin in an exaggerated manner. Disgusted, he got up and put the box in his room.

As he was coming down the stairs, he realized that if he didn't hurry he'd be late. Grabbing his book bag, he rushed outside to catch up with Akane. He caught up with her quickly, jumping onto the fence. She ignored him when he arrived, still mad about him having forgotten to get a suit for the prom. He took note of her expression and wisely decided to hold his tongue, for once. They continued walking to school in an uncomfortable silence.

Later, during the lunch hour, Akane was talking to some of her friends about Ranma. "This morning I found out that Ranma had even forgotten about getting a suit for the prom. If he was supposed to go with me, what would he have gone in? His Chinese suit? Ha!" Her friends saw how distraught she was and tried to comfort her, with little success.

"Well, Akane, he is a guy. Stuff like that isn't important to them." Miyu only received a glare for her efforts. Lapsing back into silence, she tried to fade into the background.

"I don't see all of the other guys forgetting, do you?"

Sofi came to Miyu's defense. "No, but everybody knows that Ranma's not one the most socially-minded individuals around, ne?" The other girls nodded, agreeing with her. "As we all know, he was with his father on a training mission for most of his life. So the subtleties of having a girlfriend, much less a fianc e, is beyond Ranma. I'm sure he didn't mean to forget."

"Yeah, right. Like he won't conveniently forget something else."

"Try to give him a little credit, Akane," Miyu piped in again.

The warning bell for the students to return to class rang. Grabbing their trays, they put them up and headed back to class. Thinking of Akane's last remark, Sofi realized that Ranma may have forgotten something else.

When the school bell rang its last note for the day, Sofi caught up with Ranma before he left the school. He looked at her curiously as she grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side.

"Um, Ranma, you're taking Akane to the prom, ne?" He nodded, wondering where this was leading to. "You really upset her by having forgotten to get a suit for the prom, you know. And by not asking her to the prom."

Instantly on the defense, he said, "Nani? It's not like I want to take her." He regretted saying this, however, when he saw Sofi's eyes flash dangerously.

"Well, it seems to me you don't seem to care. Maybe I'll just let you hang yourself again. See if I care." She started to walk away, hoping he would see she was only trying to help him.

Rising to the bait, Ranma caught her sleeve as she started to leave, saying, "Sorry. It's my fault that I didn't ask her. With all of our parents telling us that we're going together, I just didn't think that Akane would be worried about it. Eeto, what did you wanna tell me, by the way?" She smiled quickly and dropping it from of her face before turning around.

"Well, since you forgot to get yourself a tuxedo, is there anything else you may have forgotten? I mean, for Akane-chan, that is." He could only scratch his head and give her a blank stare. Seeing this, Sofi ground her teeth together and tapped her foot. Ranma still couldn't think of anything. "You forgot to get a corsage, I'm sure. You know, a flower arrangement for the dress. It's traditionally bought by the guy that's taking a girl out."

"Oh. Is that all?" He smiled brightly at her pronouncement. Seeing his smile directed at her, her knees started to become jelly. She caught herself before she could make a fool herself in front of Ranma. Calling herself all manner of idiot, she gave herself a mental slap. Here she was getting all worked up over her best friend's fianc e.

She said, "Just don't forget about it again before the prom, okay?" Ranma nodded to her, his mind somewhere else already. She walked away, cursing the gods that were and Akane that she couldn't have had Ranma. The thought struck her that this is probably what most of the other girls did every day. Giggling to herself, she went home.

Ranma dimly heard Sofi's laughter as he thought about what she had told him. Sparing a moment for a remark, he said "Girls" in an all-suffering manner. Walking out of the building, he caught up with Akane. She didn't even glance at him as he began walking above her. Halfway home, he decided that now would be the time to go and get the corsage.

"I have to go get something, so I'll be home a little late," he said to Akane. She looked up at him curiously, about to ask what he was talking about. Not waiting for the question, he leaped to a nearby roof and out of sight. Dropping to the ground, he began running. He turned a corner, heading for a flower shop that was nearby.

"Irasshai mase," the lady said to him as he entered. She was a petite girl, blue-black hair and soft brown eyes. "How may I help you today, sir? Would you like a rose arrangement, or perhaps one of our specials?"

Shaking his head, he said, "Iie. I'd like to get a corsage for my fianc e."

With a knowing smile, the clerk stepped out from behind the counter and went to a glass cabinet. She pulled out a red rose corsage, holding it up for him to inspect. He looked at the corsage and shook his head. "Iie. I'd like a yellow one, please." At this, the clerk gave him an incredulous stare.

"Yellow? Do you know what you're talking about?"

Ranma nodded, saying, "Hai. It's her favorite color."

"Iie, I mean, do you know what yellow stands for?" Shaking his head again, he gave her a blank stare. "The colors of certain flowers mean different things. For the rose, yellow means friendship, red means love, and the other colors signify other emotions and attributes. But you've got a fianc e, ne? Normally you get a red rose or something just as significant for the one you care about."

"Hai, I understand that, but it's arranged. You see, we don't get along so well. So, if what you're saying is true, if I gave her a red rose, she'd probably hit me again. She doesn't really like me too much."

Bewilderment clouded the clerk's face at this pronouncement. "You mean that the two of you are engaged, but you don't care for each other? How odd."

Ranma sighed, getting ready to tell his spiel about the situation. "Our fathers decided to engage the two of us before we were born. That way we could unite the two dojos as one. Well, when we met, we started off on the wrong foot. Ever since then, we've fought with each other. We even had a wedding set up for us, but it was interrupted. And, ever since, we've hardly spoken to each other, at least politely. I know her favorite color is yellow, so I thought that it would help to give her a yellow corsage, since she's mad at me for having forgotten about the prom and getting a tuxedo."

With the short explanation, the look slowly faded from the clerk's face as understanding grew. "Ah. I see. So you need to become friends first before you two can actually make amends with each other?" *They still do arranged marriages these days?*

"Eeto, sort of, I guess. It's a little more complicated than that. But I already messed up with the suit, so I need to appease her somehow. A red corsage would be taken the wrong way by our parents and we'd be married before the dust settled. I don't want that, and I'm sure she doesn't. So, if you would, I'd like to get a yellow corsage."

The clerk nodded and turned back to the cabinet. Putting the corsage back in, she pulled out a yellow rose corsage for Ranma. He looked at it, satisfied. She rang up the price and he paid, grimacing at how little he had after this. "Hold on a moment, sir, while I wrap it up." Ranma waited as she put the corsage in a box and wrapped it with some paper and tied it shut with a bow. Finished, she handed it over to Ranma. "I wish you the best of luck, sir. Sayonara."

"Arigato goziamaisu." Ranma left the shop and headed home, glad that he was done with that. When he arrived home, he put the corsage in the fridge, trying to keep it fresh. He'd seen Soun and Kasumi put flowers in it before, so he just followed their example.

Kasumi came out of the washroom with a basket. Seeing him in the fridge, she said, "Dinner will be ready soon, Ranma. I think you can wait until then, can't you," she said in a condescending tone.

Ranma closed the fridge and looked over at Kasumi. "I was just putting something in here. Could you make sure nobody messes with it, please? It's the box with the bow. It's for, ah, um, Akane, so I don't want anybody to take it."

Kasumi smiled at him and continued with her work, saying, "Sure thing, Ranma. That's sweet of you to get Akane something. Now, out of the kitchen while I make dinner." Ranma left the kitchen and went upstairs. Passing by Akane's room, he saw her studying. He stopped to look at her.

She was leaning on her hand, reading from one of her textbooks. With her other hand she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, revealing more of her delicate jaw. Ranma felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her. Yet so close, yet so far away, he thought to himself.

Gathering up his courage, he knocked on her door. She looked up at him and a frown entered her features. Seeing this, he took a step back.

"What is it, Ranma? If you can't see, I'm trying to study."

"I just wanted to, um, say sorry for not having asked you to go to the prom with me earlier. I guess I kinda forgot. I just thought that, since we're supposed be engaged, we'd naturally be going to the prom together."

As he continued his speech, her ire began to rise. He'd assumed too much this time. Her voice rising an octave or two, she said, "That's it, you don't think enough. Now, if you're finished, I'd like to get back to studying. Unlike some others that I know, I care about what my grades are." Standing up, she pushed him out of her room and slammed her room.

"Kawaiikune tomboy. I was only trying to be nice." Flustered, he headed to his room.

When he entered his room, he sat down and rummaged through his book bag to find the subject he needed to study the most. He had trouble studying for a while, as he was fuming from what Akane had said to him. Eventually, he put it behind him and got down to some serious studying.

The night ended as usual. The fighting over food with his father and then practicing a few katas before going to bed. Ranma avoided Akane, not wishing to be visited by her wrath. He knew that if he went near her he'd say something stupid to make her mad and then get hit for it. Thus, he went to sleep without any new bruises.  
>**********<p>

At midday for the prom night, the students of the senior class were released. This was so they could rest up and get ready for the upcoming festivities. The rest of the student body envied them, only muttering a few deprecations.

Akane and a few of her friends had decided earlier that they would meet at the park for a picnic and enjoy the day before they went to change and go to the prom. As they sat, they talked about what their dates had done for them until then. Akane was silent during this part of the conversation. After a while, she went over to the pond and started skipping rocks over the surface. Not many skipped more than five times, as she was distracted with her thoughts and wasn't trying too hard. Sofi and Miyu noticed her standing over at the pond and detached themselves to walk over to her.

"What's the matter, Akane?" Miyu asked.

"Gomen nasai. I didn't want to upset your party. It's just that I had nothing to put into the conversation, so I sorta felt left out." Akane stopped skipping rocks and turned to her friends.

"You're still mad about Ranma forgetting to ask you to the prom and about his tuxedo?" Sofi asked.

"Hai. He's so insensitive sometimes. Why do I even bother?" Sofi and Miyu looked at each other, wishing they could do something to help Akane.

Sighing, Sofi motioned for the three of them to sit down and said, "Guys aren't like us. Most of them don't know what is meaningful to us. It's hard for us to understand this, but it does happen. You have to remember that Ranma didn't have a mother to teach him some of the things that most others get. You've said so yourself on many occasions that he didn't know a lick about the girls. Even if he is one at times, he still doesn't understand us. How can you blame him?"

"That's the thing, though." Akane looked up from the grass to her friends. "When he's a girl and wants something, he's very good at getting it. You know, batting his eyes and all that. He's done it to Ryoga so many times and he still falls for it."

"Yeah, but that's to the guys," Miyu piped up. "He's a guy and he knows what they like. It's to the girls that he has a hard time understanding. You see? All that flirtatious stuff can come easily if you know what would melt your heart, you know? So you have to understand that he still comes from a different viewpoint."

"I guess you're right. It still irks me, though. Arigato for the pep talk." Akane finally smiled and got up from the grass. The other two followed suit. They walked back to the group and joined them in the latest discussion of what they were all going to do after the school year ended.

Soon the tinkling of laughter could be heard throughout the park as the girls told each other their dreams. The time passed and they had to go get themselves ready for the night. Parting ways, they all went home.

While Akane had been at the park with her friends, Ranma had gone to Ukyo's. Entering Ucchan's with her, he sat down at the counter where Ukyo put her apron on and began to cook. In just a few moments, Ranma was eating some okonomiyaki. It took a shorter amount of time for him to eat it than Ukyo to cook the pancakes. Settling herself beside Ranma, Ukyo began to eat her okonomiyaki.

"Do you ever have the feeling that you're about to do something really stupid?" asked Ranma. Ukyo looked up from her plate. Her eyebrows knitted together, showing her concern.

"Yeah. Kinda like before I started to mess up your wedding. I suppressed it, though."

"Mmm. I have one of those feelings right now. It's just that I can't place what I need to do to stop it. It kinda scares me."

Ukyo looked back up quickly from her food. Something was really bothering Ranma for him to admit that. Swallowing her food, she said, "Something like that usually can't be avoided. It's kinda like Oedipus Rex from one of Homer's stories. The more you try to avoid it, the worse it gets."

"I suppose you're right. It's just that I wish it wasn't so...It's kinda hard to describe."

"Let me try for you. You have a hollow feeling in your stomach and your head is kinda fuzzy?" Ranma nodded. "And, when you try to figure it out, you start feeling a sense of dread. Believe me, I've felt it before. Sorry, though. How to get rid of it is almost impossible."

Ranma put his face in his hands, letting out an explosive breath. "It's just so irritating that I can't do anything to make it go away." His frustration about the subject showed itself as his voice warbled.

Ukyo's concern grew at seeing her...friend like this. That was still hard for her to adjust to. After the failed wedding attempt he'd made it clear that she was only a friend. And most emphatically not a fianc e. Brushing aside her uneasiness, she watched Ranma as he struggled with himself. Putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, she said, "I know it won't help much, but you can't let it get to you. Something like that can't be dealt with until the situation presents itself. That's the time that you will know what to do. In the meantime, you need to relax. There's a dance coming up and you need to get ready for it."

"You're right. I'm just going to run myself ragged trying to worry about it. So, did you ever convince Konatsu to wear guy's clothing for once?"

A peal of laughter came from Ukyo when he said this. "You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get him to do that. But, eventually, he gave in. He's rather striking in his suit, I might add."

"You don't look half bad in a dress, you know." Both laughed, enjoying themselves at her expense. "If you teach him to be a guy, he might even be able to show you how to be a girl." By this time they were fully in the throes of laughter. Eventually their laughter died.

"You might even want to try to learn how to be a girl, too. Especially since you're half girl yourself." She missed the fraction of a second where Ranma's brow darkened into a scowl. He forced a laugh for her, however, not wishing to spoil her mood.

They heard a noise from the stairs. Looking, they saw Konatsu standing in the entryway of the stairwell. Ranma was taken aback to see him in male clothes, for once. The poor boy didn't look too comfortable, by Ranma's estimation. He was constantly fidgeting with the jacket he wore, as well as adjusting his pants every so often. Konatsu walked into the room and sat down beside Ukyo, across from Ranma. He didn't look half bad, by Ranma's reckoning.

Ranma smiled encouragement for the boy, privately glad that he wasn't in Konatsu's shoes.

"Well, Ucchan, I think I need to be going. There's a few things I want to do before I have to change. Ja mata."

"Ja mata," both Ukyo and Konatsu said to Ranma.

Ranma heard Ukyo complimenting Konatsu as he walked out of the shop. Jumping up on a fence, he walked home. When he arrived, he found his father sitting by the pond and reading a newspaper. Unable to resist, Ranma launched a kick attack and knocked him into the pond.

A fight ensued between the boy and the panda. He was hit a few times as he tried practicing one of the new moves he'd fashioned himself. Near the end of the fight, he was hit and fell into the water. Using this chance, Ranma-onna began another attack that she'd almost perfected in her female form. Her speed of attacks increased, causing the panda to fall back. Ki attacks were thrown in at seemingly random intervals, but appeared to have devastating effects when they hit.

The battle was over in moments with a smoking panda cooling off in the koi pond. Brushing her hands off, she went inside to find some hot water. Going into the kitchen, she ran the water until it was warm enough and filled a glass. Pouring it over her head, she heard a gasp behind her. Turning, she saw Kasumi with a mortified expression on her face.

Looking down, he saw the reason for her distress. Water was all over her clean floor. Sheepishly, Ranma grabbed a mop and began cleaning up his mess. This done, he went back outside and to the dojo. Taking a stance, he began to work through a kata. At the end of his kata, he was attacked from behind by an angry panda. Picking himself up, he faced his father. "Che! You want another beating? Prepare yourself!" With a maniacal laugh, he launched himself at his father. Beginning again on his previous kata, he started to push his father back. Genma, however, saw an opening and smashed Ranma against the wall.

Picking himself up, he faced the smirking panda. Genma held up one of his signs, which said, "Gotta try better than that, boy!" Continuing where he left off, Ranma began to lose ground. As the panda sat on top of him, he managed to free a hand. Using his hand, he pushed his father off and flipped to his feet. Genma held up another sign. "You dropped your stance too low the first time." Having said this, he walked out of the dojo.

Taking the advice, Ranma began the kata and worked through it, analyzing all aspects of it before he finally found the chink in his stance. Sighing grumpily, he finished the kata with a higher stance. He hated it when his father was right. Satisfied with the modification, he went inside to eat, clean up and get changed.

He passed Akane on her way out of the changing room. With a weak smile, he slid past her and into the changing room to take a bath, with her pointedly ignoring him. He blushed at how much of her chest had been exposed by the robe she was wearing. His nose threatened to bleed and he tried to head off any further thoughts. Slipping into the warm water after washing himself off, he relaxed. After a time, his thoughts intruded into the soft warmth that surrounded him and told him to get ready for the dance. Regretfully, he got out and toweled himself off. Dressing in his tuxedo, he checked himself out in a mirror. Satisfied with the look, he went downstairs.

Ranma went into the kitchen to retrieve the corsage he'd stashed in the fridge. The box felt a little damp, but that couldn't be helped. Walking into the living room, he saw that his mother had arrived. She fussed over him, turning him around to see how the suit fit. Turning him back around, she kissed him on the forehead. "Oh, you are a handsome boy. The two of you are lucky to have each other." Ranma could only give her a sickly smile. She missed this, however, because Genma and Soun had entered the room and she had turned to them.

"Akane should be down any moment now," Soun said, on the edge of tears. At this pronouncement, they all heard the stairs creak as a weight descended upon them. When Akane and Kasumi came down from upstairs, Ranma could only stare at the sight. Akane was wearing a canary yellow dress that revealed her shoulders for the whole world to see. Soft white lace framed the upper portion of the dress, falling down over her breasts. The skirt had a similar fringe of lace, yet larger and just a tad more frilly. Akane missed his expression, even as she was staring at him also.

His suit was cut very fashionably. It sat on his frame as if it had been cut specifically for him. The blue did not detract but seemed to accentuate Ranma's eyes. As she looked into his eyes, she realized what she was doing and blushed prettily, feeling it go all the way down to her shoulders. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she stepped forward. Ranma saw the blush and wondered about it.

Akane's eyes traveled back up and she noticed something in Ranma's hands. He was clutching it, nearly crushing the box. "What's that," she asked, pointing. With a start, Ranma came back to himself. Holding it out to her, she took it from him. She pulled the ribbon off of the box. Opening it, she emitted a startled gasp.

Inside, to her disbelief, was one of the most beautiful sights she'd seen. Three yellow roses were surrounded by a swarm of baby's breath. The baby's breath looked like tiny sprites trying to get kisses from the larger petals of the roses. Underneath it all was a bed of lace to hold them together. Each rose stem had been slipped through a pocket of lace to hold them in place. Small petals made by the lace surrounded the base of the whole arrangement.

"I-it's beautiful." Akane could only stare at it.

Nodoka came to rescue and said, "Ranma, dear, why don't you put it on her? That way the two of you can get to the dance sometime tonight." This spurred Ranma into action. Picking the corsage up out of the box, he held it out, ready to pin it onto Akane's bodice. He stopped, however, trying to formulate a plan. Seeing his hesitation, Akane looked down and blushed. The only place for him to place it on her dress would have him touching her breast. Thinking of a solution, she pulled the top of the dress away from her body and held it so Ranma could put the pin through without embarrassing them both. With a smile of thanks, he pinned it onto her dress.

She smoothed the dress back onto her bodice and looked down at the flowers. Satisfied, she looked around at their parents and smiled at them. Genma gently shoved Ranma forward. Taking his cue, he held his arm out to Akane. Taking his arm, the two of them left for the prom. Their parents watched them until they were out of sight. With a collective sigh, they closed the door and went about their business. Soun and Genma sat down at the shogi board, whereas Nodoka and Kasumi chatted about the workings of the household.

Ranma was tempted to jump up onto the fence, but took the feeling and stomped on it. He felt comfortable with Akane at his side. He had decided earlier that he would keep his mouth shut. That had calmed the sense of dread, but not dispelled it. Still worried about that, he tried to put on a pleasant face. Akane felt some of his discomfort, but misinterpreted it as him feeling uncomfortable with her at his side. A bit miffed at this, she pulled away slightly.

When she did this, Ranma looked down at her, wondering why she'd pulled away from him. Shrugging mentally, he continued without comment.

As they neared the campus, they could see other couples streaming into the gymnasium. Joining the crowd, they entered to the overpowering sound of a techno beat.

When they entered, there was a section set off to the side for pictures. They stood in line until they finally got theirs taken. Ranma handed the man the cash and received a receipt for the exchange. They could pick the pictures up in a few days.

Looking around, Ranma caught a glimpse of Ukyo with Konatsu. Getting Akane's attention, he pointed in their direction. Nodding to him, they walked over to the other couple.

Konatsu looked uncomfortable in his tuxedo. He was still fidgeting with the suit. Ukyo was pointedly ignoring this, trying to enjoy the music. As Ranma and Akane approached, she smiled brightly. Hailing a greeting to the other couple, Ukyo grabbed Konatsu's arm and dragged him forward.

Ranma and Akane took in Ukyo's dress. It was a pink silk affair with thin straps barely holding it on her. The rest of it seemed to cling to her body, revealing her figure in a most suggestive manner. Akane could only envy the other girl's endowments. Ranma shook his head, trying to clear it. Akane noted his expression and elbowed him in the ribs. He grunted, trying to sidle away from her, but his arm was still entangled with hers.

"My, what a lovely dress, Akane," Konatsu said in a soft, lilting voice. Ukyo frowned and elbowed him in the ribs. Trying again, but in a deeper voice, he said, "It suits you well, and the corsage you have is remarkable."

"Arigato. Ranma got it for me." Both Ukyo's and Konatsu's eyebrows shot up at this. They looked at Ranma in disbelief. Seeing their looks, Ranma tried vainly to blend into the background.

When the techno song ended and a slow song came on, Ukyo took the opportunity to ask, "Ranma, would you like to dance?" Taken aback by the request, Ranma nodded. Akane reluctantly released her hold on Ranma. Walking out onto the dance floor, they noticed that Akane had grabbed Konatsu and dragged him onto the floor, also.

Ukyo smiled to herself. Ranma saw this and asked, "So, how's it going with you and Konatsu?"

Intentionally stepping on Ranma's foot, she said, "He still thinks that now that you and I aren't engaged that he has a chance. It's just that I don't feel anything romantic towards him. I can sympathize for him, but that's something that doesn't hold a relationship together." Ranma let out a wistful sigh, understanding completely. "And why so great a sigh, Ranma?" Curiosity sparkled in her eyes as they met with his.

Looking away, he said, "Things aren't what they always seem to appear. I feel like I'm one of those lost puppies that some little girl finds and takes home, felling sorry for them. It just bugs me. That's how I think Akane feels about me. You know, one of those lost puppies."

"Mmm," was the only response that Ukyo could utter to Ranma's pronouncement. This was the first Ranma had told her this. An uncomfortable silence ensued, lasting the remainder of the dance. Parting, they walked off of the dance floor. As another techno song came on, Ukyo got a mischievous glint in her eye. Grabbing Akane's arm, she dragged her out onto the dance floor and joined a group of other girls. They started gyrating to the music, letting off steam from the past few weeks.

Ranma watched, glad he'd been left alone this time. Moving fast with his martial arts was one thing, but making a fool of himself to music was another. He and Konatsu stood at the edge of the dance floor, admiring the young women on it. Akane and Ukyo danced until the fast-paced songs were cut off and the slow songs back on. Giggling uncontrollably, the two girls came off and fell into their respective date's arms, exhausted, only to drag them onto the dance floor. The next few hours went on like that. The couples would switch between partners for the slow songs and the girls would go out onto the dance floor and enjoy themselves with the fast-paced music. Occasionally would another ask to have a dance with them. Akane and Ukyo were asked multiple times, having to deny some of their erstwhile suitors the chance to dance with them. Ranma was asked by various friends of Akane's, and he went along reluctantly. With great trepidation, he danced with the girls, trying to keep them from getting too close to him, knowing that some of them were jealous of Akane and him being engaged because of the conversations he'd overheard before.

Konatsu almost had heart failure when he was asked by one of the girls to dance. The girl had seen his shocked face and started to walk away when he finally gathered his wits and caught her, accepting the invitation. After that, he seemed to enjoy himself more, not fidgeting absently with his clothes.

As the night ended, and everybody exhausted, the music was stopped for a short interlude for the class president to make his speech. When he finished, the last remaining song was played. Ranma and Akane went onto the dance floor, keeping themselves separated as they had all night when they danced together. This was by unspoken mutual consent. It was natural, almost. Akane wished that she could trust Ranma not to do anything to embarrass her if they got close, but she'd decided to go along with him on that account. His feet still got stepped on occasionally, however.

"Would you like to go for a walk before we go home, Akane?" Ranma had finally gathered the courage to ask her. She was a bit startled at the question, but only nodded. "I thought the park would be nice, wouldn't you agree?"

Akane smiled, liking the idea. When the song ended, the couple said their good-byes to their friends, exiting the gymnasium and beginning their walk to the park. As they walked, they enjoyed the night, not wanting to spoil the moment. The stars were out in full force. Not a sign of a cloud shown, to Ranma's relief.

A few moments after leaving the school, they found a path that went through the park. Wending their way through it, they eventually found themselves at the pond. They stopped and enjoyed the soft shushing sound of the wind through the reeds. Ranma felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He dismissed the feeling away as nerves.

In a nearby tree, a presence added more power to its misdirection spell. It wouldn't do to be detected.

Ranma turned to Akane, breaking the silence. "There's something I want to tell you, Akane." Akane looked up into Ranma eyes, her heart catching in her throat. She'd been wondering why he wanted to come to the park. When her eyes met his, his thoughts scattered like the clouds before the wind . She waited silently as he gathered his thoughts once more. "I haven't told anybody about it yet, as you might have guessed, but I'm going to go to college." With a startled gasp, Akane took a step back. "I came to my decision a couple of months ago and I had Mr. Ohbari help me. I-I've been accepted." Ranma took a deep breath. He'd wanted to tell her for so long now, but knew that their parents would have deemed it necessary that he marry Akane before they went to college.

Continuing, he said, "I'm going to Seko University. They've given me a scholarship for the first year, just like you at Meiko University. I'll be going there this fall. It's not too far from where you're going." He didn't notice the light in Akane's eyes fade in consternation.

The presence pounced. Now was the time to play its hand. With great trepidation and a tremble of its lower lip, the presence used its mental powers to send images into the young woman's mind. The hairs on Ranma's nape stood on end.

Conflicting emotions raged through Akane. Incredulity, confusion, surprise, many others she couldn't put a name to. Eventually her emotions settled onto a familiar one. Anger. *How dare he?* Everybody had known she was going to Meiko University since the beginning of the year. Now Ranma wanted to go to another college...without her?

Ranma felt another uneasy twinge as yet another mental blast entered Akane's mind.

The worm of unreason reared itself. It wrapped itself around Akane's mind and started suffocating her sanity. Sanity tried vainly to keep its grip on her, but she let unreason take control. Along side it, jealousy reared its ugly green head. She refused to admit that it was jealousy, but it still added to her rage. Her imagination took over. Through a red haze, she saw Ranma surrounded by innumerable girls who vied for his attention, while she stood dejectedly on the outside. He never once looked her way.

He wanted to have a chance to check out all of those college girls, it seemed. Maybe even...the thought sent her mind tumbling into even more irrationality. Thinking of how all the girls had clung to him at the dance, she reasoned that he had liked it. He'd never refused a one, whereas she'd refused several of the advances directed at her. Sanity lost its grip with her. With the door open, hate filled the empty space.

The thought never crossed her mind that the two colleges were only half an hour apart. She wasn't thinking rationally by this time. All she saw was red as her emotions took control of her.

Ranma, however, had been watching Akane for the past minute as her rage had built. It surprised him. He hadn't expected her to get mad at the news. In fact, he'd thought she'd be glad that he was wanting to continue going to school and better himself.

Through clenched teeth, Akane said, "You want to go to college, eh? Why, so you can be a Casanova there, too?"

This turn of the conversation rocked Ranma backwards. Where had this come from? Ranma tried to defend himself by saying, "No, I just want to get some more schooling. It's not like I'm going to be-"

But he was overridden by her voice as it rose several octaves. "Ever since you and I have been engaged, you've tried to find all the other girls and woo them." A little voice said that this was untrue, but she ignored it. "Well, now you're gonna have your chance. I won't be around to interfere. That's what you had planned all along, isn't it?"

He tried once again to explain himself, but was stampeded over.

"You've always complained about being engaged to me. Well, now is your chance to get away from me. Fine. If you want our engagement to be over, then it is. We're through!" This last was shouted. Ranma took a step forward, trying to get a word in edgewise but could only imitate being a fish. She shoved him away violently. His foot caught on something. Tumbling backwards, he rolled on the ground, only to fall into the water. Ranma-onna stood up, the tuxedo hanging limply from her form.

Akane, still in the throes of her anger, looked down do see the corsage at her breast. She ripped it off, opening a large hole in the dress. Throwing it at Ranma-onna, she ran off, crying. She tripped as she was running, dirtying the dress and skinning her knees. Regaining her feet, she continued to run.

Ranma could only stare after her retreating form. Utter amazement slowly turned to anger. He saw the corsage in front of him, lying crumpled at his feet. " Shi Shi Hokudan," he yelled, using one of his strongest attacks on the flowers. The ki blast disintegrated the mauled flowers. The ashes settled in the small crater that had been created. Stepping out of the water, Ranma-onna walked home, leaving the scene where his world had been shattered. A single petal floated down and landed in the water, its edges singed and looking forlorn. It continued its journey in the water, becoming lost.

A figure sighed from the branches of a nearby tree. It wasn't happy at what had happened, but it had been necessary. It found the lost petal, floating near the shore of the pond. A single tear fell from its eye, shining like a fine crystal drop. The tear landed on the petal, causing a startling transformation. Before its eyes, the petal became a full rose bud, the calyx curling out slightly from the tight buds. The petals turned from a pale yellow to a ruby hue. The flower was one of exquisite beauty, which would elicit strong emotions of those who saw it. It also told of the tragedy that had befallen the young couple. Looking around, it sadly shot into the sky with the newly transformed rose, keeping it for a time that it would serve its purpose.

Akane was still crying uncontrollably when she got home. Everybody was still awake, waiting for the couple to come back from the dance. When she came storming in, they saw how distraught she was. Her face was streaked with tears, puffy and blood-shot eyes telling the tale of how hard she had been crying. They also saw the rip in the bosom of her dress and the general disarray.

She stormed up into her room, followed closely by Kasumi. Stunned silence hung like a pall over the three that had stayed downstairs. Tears started to leak from Soun's eyes as he wailed for his daughter, bemoaning life in general. Genma's anger at what he imagined what his son had done finally burst out with a fist slammed into a cupped hand. It didn't stop there, however. He began to wear a hole in the floor as he paced in anxiety.

Soun looked over to his friend, saying, "Saotome-kun, what has happened? And why does she look that way? Why is my poor daughter crying on such a joyful night?"

"I don't know, Tendo-kun. I intend to find out, though. That boy will pay for what he's done. I'll see to it, even if it's the last thing I do." He stood there, clenching his fists convulsively. Again, he started pacing.

Nodoka looked at her husband, trying to fathom what he was going to do next. She was the calmest of the lot, trying to reason out what had happened between the couple. Her motherly instincts told her that Ranma would not have done...that to Akane. She shuddered to think that her son would be capable of rape. It still bothered her, however, that the two of them had ended the night so badly when, earlier, they had looked so happy.

Kasumi was holding onto Akane as she wept. Cooing to her and rocking her gently, trying to soothe her sister. Akane was mumbling insensibly as she cried. The only word she caught was "why". Dread filled her heart as she clutched her sister to her breast.

By the time Ranma-onna made it to the Tendo household, her emotions had taken her to the lowest pit they could find. She wallowed in her despair. Her world was crushed. Akane had broken off their engagement. A central pillar in her life had crumbled and she didn't know what to do with herself. Walking in the front door, she made her decision. She'd take her things and go back to her mother's to stay. At least for the remainder of the school year.

Ranma-onna was met by her father as she entered. His aura was pulsing around him as he stared down at Ranma-onna. Fear crept into Nodoka as she watched her husband. She didn't know what he was about to do.

Ranma-onna stared up at him. Something wasn't right. Her father had never looked this mad before. It disturbed her, even frightening her a little to see him this way.

"How dare you treat Akane the way you have. I'll not have a rapist for a son!" She could only gape like a fish, opening her mouth and snapping it shut. Before Ranma-onna could utter a word in defense, she was slapped. She stumbled and fell to the ground from the blow. Genma's utterance of what the three had been ruminating about stopped the other two's thoughts. Nodoka just stared and Soun stopped crying, to look from the prone form of Ranma-onna and back to Genma.

Confusion clouded Ranma-onna's thoughts. Rape? Where had that come from? Trying to rise, she was kicked back down onto the floor. "Stay down, before I make you regret having been born." His voice was an iron whip, striking her unmercifully. "If this is the way you treat women, then you have no right to be a son of mine!"

Ranma-onna's eyes flashed, anger filling her once again. How dared he think she would do something like that to Akane! Genma was about to kick her down again when Nodoka pulled him back. While Genma had been pulled away, Ranma-onna had stood and gotten into one of her attack stances. Shrugging Nodoka off, Genma met Ranma-onna halfway.

"Feel better?" The question had the effect of a bulldozer running over a mouse. Genma missed a step, for her voice were like the thorns of malice covered in acid. As Genma advanced, she attacked her father. Not holding anything back, Ranma-onna finished the fight in a matter of minutes. Genma lay at her feet, unconscious. Walking back through the broken doorway, she looked around for another challenger.

Nodoka and Soun stared at the prone form of Genma and the fiercely glowing Ranma-onna.

Her eyes bore into the two remaining parents. "I never touched Akane. So, if there's anybody else who wants a piece of me, step forward now." The two shook their heads, numbly. Going into the kitchen to get some water, she poured it over herself so she could change back. Ignoring the puddle on the floor, Ranma went upstairs to get his things. He packed all his necessities in his backpack, wasting no time. When he finished, he stepped into the hall.

Akane heard noises coming from Ranma's room. This sparked off another bout of uncontrollable anger and she tore herself from Kasumi's embrace. She rushed out of her room and blind-sided Ranma as he came out of his room. Kasumi ran to the door, seeing Akane attack Ranma. She watched in astonishment at the ferocity of her little sister.

Ranma rolled on the floor, trying to get up. Akane, however, was on top of him in a flash. Her kicks found vital spots, causing her victim to wince in pain. When Ranma finally lay still, she turned away and started back to her room. Ranma made the decision to stand, which caused Akane to turn around. He stood in the hall, looking at her. His expression was unreadable. Clenching her teeth, she rushed him again.

A punch. That's all it was. It descended on Ranma and he just watched it. It was from a fist that could break bricks easily, he knew. Unconcerned, he let if fall.

Into the hand that stopped it in its path for his face.

Akane just stared at Ranma. She hadn't seen him move, but her fist had been stopped by his hand. She realized that he had always managed to get hit by her when she was angry. This time, however, was an exception. He was much better than her. She'd always known it, but had always felt satisfaction when she'd connected, at least outside of the dojo. It'd made her feel like she was at least a decent martial artist. But this proved to her again that she was a mewling kitten compared to Ranma. He always seemed to prove it in the dojo, but outside he always fell under her wrath.

His words cut her like a searing knife as he said, "Now that we're not engaged, Akane, I'm not your personal punching bag." He turned around and started heading down the stairs, pausing only long enough to pick up his backpack.

"I hate you." What she said to him was only a whisper, but it had the effect of one of the strongest punches he'd ever received. It was said with such malice to have made one of the most venomous snakes to have hidden itself from her in stark terror. Stopping in his tracks, he absorbed the blow, losing his breath at the same time. She had said it before, but not in such a way. Bursting into tears, she ran back into her room. Kasumi, once again, tried to comfort the heart-stricken girl. He collected himself from the blow and continued on.

When Ranma got downstairs, he saw that his father was sitting on the floor with an ice pack on his head. Nodoka stood over him, daring her husband to make a move towards Ranma as he left. All three parents watched Ranma leave the house. Soun was crying again, lamenting the turn of events of this night.

Ranma had intended to go back to his mother's, but after stepping out of the house, he'd fallen back into his despair. His surroundings became a blur and his feet began to take him where they willed. Unconcerned about this, he continued on. After an hour of wandering, he finally looked up. He saw that he'd wandered around in a random pattern, only to end up in front of Dr. Tofu's clinic. The spark of an idea formed in Ranma's head as he gazed upon the structure. Walking up to the door that Dr. Tofu reserved for his private entrance, he knocked.

A muffled response came from the other side. After a moment, the door finally opened to show a sleepy Dr. Tofu. Upon seeing the bedraggled Ranma with his backpack, he woke instantly. He ushered Ranma inside, motioning for him to drop his bag at the entrance.

Without saying a word, he drew a bath for Ranma and had him clean himself up. Fifteen minutes later, a clean, but emotionally numb Ranma was sitting on the couch in Dr. Tofu's home. He held a cup of tea in his hand. Dr. Tofu watched the boy, trying to find the right words to ask Ranma about what had brought him to his house at this late hour. As he watched, he saw Ranma's hands start to shake.

Ranma's mind was not still. It kept racing through what Akane had said at the last. She'd said it many times before. But this time, she'd meant it. He knew that like he knew the Art. Reflecting on how their relationship had started, he realized that he hadn't helped the situation any. Always calling her uncute, tomboy, and many other assorted names had caused her to resent him.

Staring into the tea in his hands, he could only see the anger reflected from Akane's face like the fires of hell. It was what he'd brought to her. Before he'd come, she'd had a lot less problems. Sure, she fought with the guys every morning when she came to school, but she had always handled that. Then he'd come along and torn her world apart. It was that damned curse! If he'd only told her before she'd walked in on him, then maybe...Too late for that now, he thought. Even now she had trouble with him being in the same room. In either form.

Words were a powerful thing if you let them get to you. That was the problem. He'd let his mouth get away with him and had bombarded her with too many negative words. Tomboy...Uncute...But he couldn't tell her how he really felt. Every time he did there was something that went wrong. Either he put his foot in his mouth again or somebody would interrupt and spoil the moment. But, most of the time, he'd chicken out. The frustration was unbearable.

It was hopeless. They'd never get along. It was all Oyaji's fault. If he hadn't engaged him to the Tendo girl then he'd never have had any reason to destroy Akane. If only...But the harshness of her words attested to how he was a lame excuse for an iinazuke to her. Her smiling face materialized in front of him, only to be replaced by what he'd seen last. Her anger.

He felt something make a track down his face. Realizing what it was, self-loathing took over. Men don't cry. Trying to suppress the other tears, his heart let itself fall into his stomach. The emptiness needed to be filled with something. That something crept up on him silently. With cold fingers, it gripped his mind and sought to take control of him. It whispered in his ear. A struggle ensued...and he lost.

"Ranma..." Dr. Tofu started to say, but didn't finish as he saw that Ranma's whole body convulse.

The words "I hate you" kept pummeling his mind. To Ranma, the whole world had come tumbling down on him. Every facet of his life seemed to fall and strike him down. The night's events flashed before his eyes again and he was overwhelmed. Hopeless and dejected, he started spiraling deeper within himself.

Unable to control himself, he did something he hadn't done since he was a small boy on his first training trip away from his mother. He cried. His soul poured itself into his eyes and let the whole world know that there was a broken-hearted little boy again. He didn't care who saw him right now. His life had been crushed by only a few words. Ranma curled up in the fetal position, tea pouring over his hands and spilling to the floor. The hot tracks of tears streaked across his face. They felt like rivers of fire, trying to purge the pain from Ranma's heart. The fires weren't hot enough, Ranma knew. The pain struck deeper, burrowing itself within his soul. A dark hole was seared within him, scarring him.

Dr. Tofu watched as Ranma curled up on the couch, trying to hide within himself. He didn't know what to do. One thought came to mind as he went to get a blanket. When he set the blanket on Ranma, he tried vainly to comfort the young man. Until then, Ranma had been crying softly, eyes tightly shut. He was trying vainly to keep the tears from leaking out. But, as Dr. Tofu offered his assistance, he broke out into loud sobs, losing himself within his grief.

Eventually, however, tears dry and the young tire. Ranma's face settled and he fell into a dreamless sleep, the tear marks marring his face. His hair was matted with sweat, as if he'd just run several miles. Tucking the blanket over Ranma's sleeping form, Dr. Tofu turned the lights off after cleaning up the spilled tea and went back to bed. He was disturbed to have seen someone as emotionally stable as Ranma cry. Whoever had done this to him had a strong hold on the boy's emotions. That would be Akane.

He would get answers in the morning, he knew.  
> <p>


	2. Chapter 2

The characters from the Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi are used without license. This story is not for commercial use. It's just for the enjoyment of those who like to read the alternatives for the Ranma ½ universe. Also, the lyrics to the songs I've selected are by the respective artists. No copyright infringements intended.  
>Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts<br>~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese  
>*~* signifies Mandarin thoughts<p>A WOMAN'S TOUCH<p>

Lately I've been lookin' through the windows of my soul  
>And I can see there's not much left to hold<br>Just an empty space surrounded by the pieces of  
>A badly broken heart that's forgotten how to love<p>

What my heart needs is a woman's touch  
>A tender had to fix it up<br>It's rough and ragged edges sure could use some love  
>What my heart needs is a woman's touch<p>

When I look in the mirror, the only thing I see  
>Are traces of the man I used to be<br>Late at night I hear it, it cannot be denied  
>A lonely voice is crying out from somewhere deep inside<p>

What my heart needs is a woman's touch  
>A tender had to fix it up<br>It's rough and ragged edges sure could use some love  
>What my heart needs is a woman's touch<p>

What my heart needs is a woman's touch  
>A tender had to fix it up<br>It's rough and ragged edges sure could use some love  
>What my heart needs is a woman's touch<p>

Yeah, it's rough and ragged edges  
>Sure could use some love<br>What my heart needs is a woman's touch

What my poor heart needs is a woman's touch  
>A woman's touch<p>

- Toby Keith -

LIVING LIFE ANEW

CHAPTER II

GRADUATION

When he got up, Dr. Tofu saw that Ranma was still asleep. The previous night had utterly exhausted the young man. Leafing through his notebook, he found the number he wanted. Dialing the number, he heard the phone ring on the other end. It was answered with a tired-sounding greeting, "Moshi moshi. The Saotome residence." He was relieved to hear Mrs. Saotome answer the phone.

Responding to the greeting in kind, he said, "Ohayo gozaimasu, Saotome-san. I have some news that I'm sure that will set your mind at rest. Ranma is over here at my place." He heard the relieved sigh of the mother. Continuing, "He's still asleep right now, but if you can, would you be able to come over as soon as possible? Ranma appears to have had a rough night. Maybe, after you've spoken with him, the two of you can settle things. It appears that he was rather upset." He didn't want to say too much over the phone, but he didn't want to downplay the situation.

On the other side, Nodoka was thanking Dr. Tofu profusely for what he'd done for her family. Agreeing with him, she said, "I'll be over soon. Arigato gozaimasu."

Going into his room to finish dressing, he heard a shout from the living room, which caused him to rush back in. He saw Ranma in the throes of what appeared as a nightmare. Not wishing to startle the martial artist out of sleep and cause a violent reaction, Dr. Tofu could only watch.

Ranma was thrashing, muttering incoherently in his sleep. "No…Akane, why…Dad, don't hit…Akane, no-…" He fell silent as he suddenly bolted out of sleep. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings. Every muscle of his body was tensed. The emotional strain from the previous night showed itself in how stiff he sat, as well as the fact that he wasn't in his usual bed.

He could only look around him in puzzlement. This wasn't his room. Seeing Dr. Tofu brought last night's events back in a rush. Embarrassment flushed his features, remembering that he'd cried. He was glad that his mother hadn't seen him in such a bad state. He gave Dr. Tofu a weak smile and swung his legs around so that he sat on the couch. Seeing that Ranma was all right, Dr. Tofu went back into his room to finish what he was about. Since it was Saturday, he was in no rush. The clinic was closed for the day and he had more important matters to attend to, it appeared.

When the knock on the door sounded, Ranma was still sitting on the couch. Looking up  
>from where his face had been nested in his hands, he looked curiously at Dr. Tofu as he answered the door. Dr. Tofu stepped aside to let Nodoka into his home. Her eyes instantly sought out Ranma. What she saw caused her to catch her breath. As a mother, she knew instantly when a child was in pain. Ranma's face was like an open book to her.<p>

What she saw broke her heart. She knew that he had a strong character. Not much had phased him in the time she'd been around him the past several months. Even having dealt with his other iinazuke had not caused him such grief.

Ranma felt like a trapped animal as soon as he saw his mother. He mistook her expression to be disappointment. She knew. He could see it in her eyes. He saw the ever-present katana in her hand. Fear gripped him. With an inarticulate cry, he rushed for the bathroom, which he saw as the only escape for the moment.

The sudden movement of Ranma brought Nodoka out of her reverie. She took a step forward, saying, "Ranma…" But he was gone before she could finish.

Ranma was shaking like a leaf. When he'd seen the katana, he knew that he'd have to commit seppuku for having dishonored the Tendo and Saotome families. And for having acted in an unmanly manner. Sure, she'd said that he was a man among men, but that hadn't stopped her from carrying the katana with her. Men don't cry. The thought of ritual suicide sent a shiver down his entire frame. Death was almost too appealing right now, considering what he'd have to face at school on Monday. His mother took honor seriously. Looking up into the mirror, he saw himself for the first time that morning.

Salt stains crusted his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy, making him look feverish. It was evident that he'd been crying. That's what she'd seen, he knew. Anybody who saw him would know. Mortified at how he looked, he washed his face. Finished, he gathered himself together. He knew he couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. It was time to face his judgment.

When Ranma had rushed into the bathroom, Nodoka and Dr. Tofu had looked at each other in puzzlement. Something caught Dr. Tofu's eye. Looking down, he saw that Nodoka had the Saotome's katana. With a weak smile, he pointed at it and said, "Ah, he may have had a bit of a scare having seen that."

Looking down at the katana with a reflective look, Nodoka nodded and reluctantly set it down by the door. Nobody would bother it.

They heard the water running in the bathroom. Patiently waiting for Ranma to clean himself up, they sat themselves in a couple of chairs. Eventually Ranma came out, looking better, but not in the best of shape by far. Nodoka stood and embraced her son. Ranma stiffened at the unfamiliar gesture, but relaxed when he realized what was going on. After he returned the embrace, his mother gestured for him to take a seat.

An uncomfortable silence ensued, all three of them waiting for the other to say something first. Nodoka was the first to break the spell.

"I was worried about you last night when you weren't home when I got there." She arched an eyebrow his way.

Sheepishly, Ranma hung his head. "Well, I…um, I started to go home, but…I started wandering around, not paying attention to where I was going. I found myself here after a while. When I saw Dr. Tofu's place, I realized that I didn't want to go home and see Oyaji. Especially after I beat him up so bad. I knew he'd be sore at me for that, so I came in here. It was fortunate that Dr. Tofu has come back from his own mother's home and let me stay here." Looking over at Dr. Tofu, he bowed. "Arigato gozaimasu, Tofu-sensei. What you did for me has put me in your debt."

Dr. Tofu waved off the thanks. Leaning forward, he said, "It was nothing, Ranma. You seemed to have had a tough night and I couldn't just turn you away. Besides, you're one of my most regular patients. I couldn't let you wander the streets in the state you were in."

Ranma smiled his thanks and turned to his mother. Dropping the smile, he felt shame for his actions descend upon him. "I'm sorry. My actions were unprecedented last night. I-"

Nodoka shushed Ranma into silence with a raised hand. "Your father overstepped his bounds last night and you just defended yourself. There is no honor lost in that. The problem, however, is what happened between you and Akane. I think that you can at least give me an explanation for that, ne?"

At the mention of Akane, Ranma's face assumed a caricature of pain. With an effort, he turned his expression into a neutral mask. Shifting uncomfortably he outlined the previous evening up to the point of the fight. "I don't know why she got mad. All I told her was that I was going to college. I thought it would be nice to tell her first, but she blew up on me."

The mention of Ranma going to college had raised one of Nodoka's eyebrows. Apparently more had been going on with her son than she knew. She let him continue.

"When I told her that I was going to Seko University and that I'd gotten a scholarship, she got mad. For no reason at all, she said that I wanted to go find some more iinazuke for myself. Or something like that. Then she said that our engagement was over and pushed me into the pond, throwing the corsage at me. While she was running away, I saw her trip. Other than what I've told you, I didn't do anything." Pain filled his words as he trailed off. He'd intentionally left off what had happened at the top of the stairs, hoping that his pounding had gone unheard. Unlikely, but he hoped that she wouldn't press for details.

Nodoka pursed her lips together, wondering what had gotten into Akane and why she'd acted irrationally. There had to be a reason. She stood up and bowed to Dr. Tofu. "I thank you again for helping Ranma. We will be going now."

She missed the pained look that Ranma had when she mentioned him going home with her. Dr. Tofu, however, saw this and an idea struck him. "It seems to me that it's going to be a little strained between Ranma and his father for a time. Your husband does stop by from time to time, yes? I don't mind having Ranma-kun here. If you've no objection, he may stay here for a time. This way, Ranma can go to school with less stress, as I know how hard it is during this time of the year and the situation at home."

Ranma's heart had skipped a beat at what Dr. Tofu was offering. This was a chance for him to get away from all the chaos. Going home with his mother would only bring him in close proximity with his father, which would undoubtably lead to another fight. And going to the Tendos would only make matters worse with Akane. He waited breathlessly for his mother's decision.

Nodoka was surprised at the offer. Looking at Ranma, she saw her son's eyes shining hopefully. Thinking for a moment, she realized that it probably would be best for Ranma to get away from his father and the Tendos for a time. With a resigned sigh, she nodded.

Ranma almost let out a whoop of joy at the pronouncement, but maintained his seat. A smile cracked his features, showing his pleasure. Retrieving her katana, she stopped at the door. "If you have any trouble with my son, Tofu-sensei, let me know. I'll take him off of your hands. You mind the doctor, Ranma. I'm off to the Tendos now so that I can figure out what the problem with Akane is." Saying this, she turned and left. Ranma blanched at the mention of her next destination. He turned to Dr. Tofu.

"Domo arigato gozaimasu, Tofu-sensei. I'm eternally in your debt for what you've done for me." Ranma bowed to his benefactor, grateful for the respite. Dr. Tofu shrugged off the thanks, feeling embarrassed at the boy's profuse gratitude.

"It just allows me to have company for a while. It's too quiet here sometimes. I don't get much company. Besides, you can do some of the cooking." At the mention of him cooking, Ranma could only laugh. Dr. Tofu was glad that he'd been able to change the young man's outlook in such a short time. "Well, since you're going to be staying here for a time, you can be a little more relaxed. I have a spare room for your use. You were too exhausted last night to move from the couch to the futon into there. And I wasn't about to carry you into there." Putting words to action, he went into the spare bedroom, Ranma on his heels to help. Ranma was soon set up in the house for a temporary stay, not knowing how long it would be.

But, all in all, the young man was satisfied with his arrangements. In a short time he'd be taking the tests and graduating. Hopefully. Then he'd be going to college.

When they finished, they set about making breakfast. When he finished his food, he was shown the back yard. It was a large area covered in grass with a small peach tree in one corner of the fence and several rose bushes going out to either side of it. The yard was large enough for him to practice the Art here. He saw that there was a slightly worn area in the grass where, apparently, Dr. Tofu practiced regularly. Finding everything to his liking, he went out and began to practice his katas.

Dr. Tofu watched him for a time before going to his reading. Before long, he was feeling restless and decided to join Ranma. Ranma was pleasantly surprised to have Dr. Tofu join him. They circled each other, finding each other's weaknesses and strengths. Satisfied, they began to pound each other.

An hour later, panting, the two walked back inside. Ranma was glad to have found a skilled sparring partner. He hadn't know how good Dr. Tofu really was, but had expected what he received this morning.

Dr. Tofu was also appreciative of Ranma's abilities. He'd been very hard pressed most of the match because of Ranma's speed. Ranma's punches had been pulled, he knew. He'd needed a good workout for some time. Having Ranma here would ensure that.

Ranma's arm was stiff where Dr. Tofu had hit him, hitting a pressure point. The numbness was fading as the nerve came back to life. Seeing Ranma's dilemma, Dr. Tofu came up to him and motioned for him to turn around. Complying, Ranma felt Dr. Tofu's able hands apply the remedy for Ranma's ailment. As he rotated his arm at the shoulder, an idea popped into his head. Turning back to Dr. Tofu, he said, "Say, would you show me some of those points? I've never really gotten a chance to learn too many of them. I know the ones that I needed to touch in order to defeat Hinako-sensei and a few others spots. Other than that, I haven't learned much about 'em."

The request pleased Dr. Tofu. Thinking that the training would get Ranma's problems off of his mind, he nodded. The light of gratitude sparkled in Ranma's eyes. They both entered the house, Dr. Tofu pulling out an anatomy chart.

Ranma listened attentively as Dr. Tofu explained which areas would affect which body function. The morning wore on and they both felt they had spent it productively. The entire time Akane had only intruded into his thoughts occasionally. Dr. Tofu had sensed these times and had found a way to distract the young man, knowing the images would only hurt Ranma more in his current state of mind.

When they finished with the lesson for the day, Ranma decided that some studying was in order. After an hour, he was restless and decided to go somewhere, anywhere. As he stepped out of the house, he knew where he wanted to go.

**********

While Ranma was at Dr. Tofu's keeping his mind off of Akane, she was having a harder time of it. After she had cried herself to sleep last night, she'd woken to find the house to be strangely silent. Worried, she got up and dressed. Walking downstairs, she found Kasumi in the kitchen making breakfast. If Kasumi was fine, there was no need to worry. Still, though, something nagged at her mind.

Walking to the back, she found her father and Uncle Saotome playing shogi. Seeing the panda started something percolating inside of her mind. The previous night began to rush her. With a low moan as she realized what she'd done to Ranma, and she sank to the ground.

The entire time that they'd been sitting there playing shogi, the two fathers had been glancing fearfully at Akane. They were afraid that they would be on the receiving end of Akane's anger this morning. But her current actions brought great alarm to them. Instantly, Soun was at his daughter's side and crying. Trying fervently to console his daughter, he only heard her saying 'he's gone' to herself.

She realized that she'd never let Ranma say one word in his defense. She'd only jumped to the conclusion that he was only trying to get away from her so he'd be able to find another 'cute' fiancee. But he'd only said that he was going to another college, a few minutes from her very own. It disturbed her that she'd done it again. It seemed like it would never end, her catching Ranma off guard with her anger and accusing him of something when he tried desperately to explain. So many times she'd done that, only to learn later of Ranma's innocence. Ranma wouldn't be troubled now that they weren't engaged anymore.

Her father's voice penetrated her thoughts and she finally stood. Looking around, she saw that she was making a fool of herself in here. There was one place she knew she could go to be alone. With a reassuring smile to her father, she said, "I'm fine. I'm just going to the dojo to work out." Turning around, she went back upstairs and changed into her gi. Rushing back downstairs, she passed her father and Genma, who had gone back to playing shogi. With a heavy sigh, Soun turned back to the game, drying his tears.

Akane set up one of the sparring dummies. Taking a stance, she started to pound on it. Something about it was bothering her, however. A kick to the head caused her to stop all further attacks. Staring at the dummy, she realized what had been bothering her. On the head was a wig with a ponytail. She remembered that she'd been using the wig for quite some time, taking her frustrations out on it.

A painful memory came up to the surface. One of her kicking Ranma while he tried to protect himself as he lay on the floor. With a muffled sob, she pulled the wig off of the dummy and threw it into a corner of the dojo, collapsing to the floor. Her own words from the night prior haunted her. She'd said them with a vicious cruelty, wanting to sting Ranma for…for no apparent reason at all. Her entire frame shook with the remorse she felt. Things had finally gotten out of hand and it was all her fault, she realized.

Hugging herself, she fought the tears back. It took her some time, but she willed her tears away and she began to practice again. Finally losing herself in the exercise, she never noticed the knock on the shoji to the dojo until it was repeated loudly.

Turning, she found Nodoka standing in the doorway.

Unsure of herself, she bowed to the shrine and exited the dojo to join the waiting Nodoka. It was Nodoka who started the conversation.

"It seems that last night was a bit hectic for some of us last night. If you would, could you please explain what happened? This may help settle a few problems that seem to have cropped up."

Akane flushed, wondering where this had been leading to. Her actions the previous night shamed her. Hanging her head, she said, "I seem to have made a horrid mess of things last night. It's all my fault."

Nodoka looked at Akane, her eyes penetrating. Akane noisily swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "Let's not lay any blame yet, dear. Not until we get all of the facts, at least. I just want to hear your side of the story. We'll reserve blame until all of the pieces are on the table."

Nodding, Akane couldn't resist under the older woman's will.

She told the entire side of her story up to the point of her getting home, halting occasionally to reflect on the worst parts of her behavior. She shifted uncomfortably under Nodoka's silent stare. Nodoka's mind was reviewing both stories. They both seemed to match. But everything wouldn't have brought Ranma to the brink he'd been at last night after having arrived at Dr. Tofu's. What Akane said next brought her thoughts to a halt.

"After Ranma had packed all of his things last night, I got mad again. For no reason at all but my own anger, I knocked him down and started to kick him." Nodoka had heard a scuffle upstairs last night and had wondered. She hadn't wanted to press Ranma when he'd told her his side of the story, reserving some questions for later. This confession had answered one of the unspoken, though. She sensed that this wasn't all of what was chewing a hole in Akane's conscience. She waited patiently for the younger woman to continue.

Akane's next words brought a flush to her skin because of the shame she felt. "Then I…said one of the worst things I could think of at the time." Her resolve broke and she fell to her knees, clutching at Nodoka. Kneeling, Nodoka tried to hush Akane's lamentations. Regaining some control of herself, Akane continued, "I told him sniff that I ha-sniff and low sob hated him."

This new information opened a few doors for Nodoka she hadn't considered existed. She now knew what had caused her son to have lost his control. Added to that was the fact that his father had accused him of rape. It seemed that there were a lot of apologies that needed to be given to her son. Trying to put on a good front for Akane's sake, she said, "Come on, dear, cheer up. I'm sure that everything will be fine. When Ranma comes back, you two will make up and be happy again."

Akane stared at her incredulously, her crying having stopped instantly. "How can you say that? He must hate me now, especially after what I've done to him. He's always said how much he didn't want to get engaged to me, anyway. Always calling me a kawaikunee tomboy. Now that I've called off the engagement, why would he want to come back? He didn't even want to get married the last time."

Her words sent Nodoka's mind awhirl. How could the two of them be so blind? Everybody saw how the two of them looked out for each other. Realization slowly dawned on her as she thought about the situation. Naturally, she'd heard how they had met. It had privately amused her that they'd started out on rocky ground. But it truly alarmed her now. That start had caused their relationship to plummet before it had time to get a firm base. When they'd finally gotten to like each other, they had been into the routine of having insulted each other at every turn that their relationship had been stunted.

Something as small as the words 'pervert' and 'kawaikunee tomboy' had compounded itself until they had grown calluses towards each other. Added to that, they were too headstrong to tell each other how they really felt about the other. They wouldn't even admit it to themselves! Unable to think of a solution, she decided that keeping them apart for the time would be necessary. Trying to force them together again would only compound the problem and cause more grief. They'd done enough by having forced the issue until it had caused this latest incident.

Akane shifted under Nodoka's unseeing stare. The movement brought Nodoka out of her reverie. "I may have a temporary solution to your problems, dear," she said reassuringly. "The two of you need some time away from each other, it appears. I'll talk with your father and Genma and have them leave the two of you alone. Until then, try to be positive. Until we can find a solution to the problem, it'll just have to be this way."

As she listened in silence, relief flooded her and she hugged Nodoka, murmuring her thanks. She disengaged herself and stood with Nodoka.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up, dear? You've been working out this morning and it has a bit of a fragrance to it," Nodoka said as she wrinkled her nose. Laughing, Akane bowed her thanks and took her leave. Humming quietly to herself, she went inside to take a refreshing bath.

Nodoka watched Akane skipping away, glad she'd made some progress, but at such a price. Her attention swiveled to take in her husband. During the entire conversation with Akane, the two men had been watching covertly from their game. They tried acting innocent. When her eyes went steely, she saw Genma flinch. Good, she thought, he knows that our business isn't finished. Like the tiger pursuing the faun, she stalked her quivering husband with the intent of inflicting more damage on him. Genma's punishment last night just didn't seem to be enough at the moment.

**********

Ranma stepped into Ucchan's, seeing the restaurant in its usual busy state. Ukyo was behind the grill. She saw Ranma and gestured for him to take his usual seat at the counter right next to her. With flair, she set about getting Ranma an okonomiyaki made up. Ranma's stomach rumbled in anticipation at the smell.

As soon as the okonomiyaki hit the plate, it was wolfed down. Rubbing his stomach, Ranma said, "That hit the spot, Uk-chan." He gave her one of his million-dollar smiles. It was straining his abilities to make it look like nothing was bothering him, but Ukyo somehow saw through it.

"What's wrong, Ranchan?" The question caused Ranma to lose the smile. She noted how fast it slipped away. *This was really bad.* "Did something happen last night after the dance?"

Looking down at the plate in front of him, he nodded. His whole posture spoke volumes to Ukyo. The slight slump in the shoulders, the sagging into the chair, and the downcast look he had on his face. He wouldn't even make eye contact with her. Not much affected Ranma in this way except for Akane. She gestured for Konatsu to come over. When he saw Ranma, he knew what was needed and took over at the grill. Ukyo grabbed Ranma and pulled him to an empty booth, away from the customers.

He didn't complain about being drug around. Ukyo sat with her back to the wall, making sure nobody would unexpectedly come upon them. Focusing her undivided attention on Ranma, she said, "You look like hell. Wanna talk about it?" He obviously did, since he'd come here, but he needed a kick-start.

"Akane and I aren't engaged anymore. That's what she says, anyway." The simple statement left Ukyo speechless.

She recovered. "Why don't you start from the beginning? I think that'd be best."

Ranma nodded. Hesitantly, he started. As he continued with his narration, Ukyo couldn't believe her ears. He finished by saying, "I didn't really want to burden you with this, but you're the best friend I've got and I had to tell somebody."

Friend. That's what Ranma desperately needed right now, she knew. Those two had been inseparable since they'd met. Now they weren't engaged.

She felt her heart rise into her throat as she started to tell herself that Ranma might now accept her as his fiancée. But she quashed the idea. He'd made it clear that he couldn't care for her in that way. She was his best friend, he'd said, and had always thought of her as such. She repeated the word like a mantra, trying to convince herself.

Ranma shuffled his feet, bringing Ukyo out of her thoughts. *Back to the problem at hand, baka.* "So your father thought you—" The idea seemed to catch in her throat, but she choked it out, "-tried to molest Akane? Why would he think such a thing?"

Ranma had thought about it quite a bit since the incident with his father. Thinking back to when he'd seen Akane last, the realization struck him. "Well, I guess it's probably because Akane's dress was torn where I'd put the corsage on her. She was pretty dirty, too. As I said before, she fell when she was running away. She looked pretty messed up when I saw her upstairs." Another thought caught his attention. It seemed that Genma might not have been the only one to have thought he'd done something like that to Akane. That disturbed him. *Had mom thought that, too?*

"All he did was attack you after you got back to the dojo?" Ranma nodded. She still didn't like Genma, and this only added another notch to her belt.

"When he said it, he totally surprised me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten that first hit in. After that, things went way downhill. I went upstairs to get my things and Akane tackled me and started to kick me. I'm still a little sore from it, too. But, when I realized she wasn't going to stop until I lay still, that's what I did. And then…" His throat constricted. He tried to swallow, but was unable to. He'd left this part of the story out, but he couldn't keep it in any longer. It seemed to last forever, but it finally passed. He gave Ukyo's hand a squeeze, as she'd grabbed his when he was struggling with himself. Disengaging his hand from hers, he continued. "She said that she hated me. I know, she's said it before, but this time I think she meant it."

It was obvious how upset Ranma was about all this. A fire began to smolder in her breast. How dare they treat her Ranchan like this? Didn't they know that he'd cut off his arm if he thought it'd save his family some grief. And, as for Akane's sake, he'd give his own life to keep her safe. He'd risked it enough for her in the past. There was no denying that. How could she say she hated Ranma for wanting to go to college? And what was this of him dating other girls? He'd always avoided his other iinazuke and sticking around Akane whenever he could. He'd always come to her only because of the okonomiyaki and to unload his burdens. It had taken a while to realize that, but it had finally sunk in.

Ranma groaned inwardly as he saw Ukyo getting mad. It could only lead to more trouble. He needed to head it off. "Well, as I said before, I talked to my mom and she's letting me to stay with Dr. Tofu, at least until I graduate, I think. I sparred with him this morning and we had some fun. He's pretty good, too. He taught me a little more about shiatsu points this morning."

Ukyo barely heard him speak. Her mind was on how she'd deal with Genma and Akane. Akane, especially. They'd have a few words together. Ranma had to snap his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. "Oh. Sorry, Ranchan. You were saying?"

"Nothin'. I guess I should get outta your hair and let ya get on with work. Thanks for letting me talk to you. Ja mata." He left with a lighter step, Ukyo was glad to see. Maybe lending an ear wasn't too hard this time.

"No prob. Ja mata." She thought of the ways she'd get Akane back. Genma was no problem. A simple beating would suffice.

**********

Kasumi dressed in the predawn light. Her status within the household left her only short moments throughout the day to relax. That didn't bother her, however, since she enjoyed it. The recent events were stressful to all concerned. It was her duty, as she saw it, to help alleviate as much of it as possible.

As she started down the stairs, she heard someone moving in Akane's room. Hearing sniffles, she decided to knock on the door. "Are you awake, Akane-chan," she asked.

From the other side, she heard, "Hai. I just woke up a little while ago."

Opening the door, Kasumi entered to see Akane propped up by a pillow and holding a pillow in a death grip. Her knees were pulled up to touch her arms, the blanket making a tent on her bed. It made her look several years younger than what she was. Her face was puffy from recent crying. It was apparent that she hadn't slept well. "How long have you been awake," Kasumi asked.

Akane looked at the clock on her dresser. "About fifteen minutes, I guess," she replied wearily. Looking back at her oldest sister, her eyes shimmered, threatening another bout of weeping. "What am I going to do, oneechan?"

Kasumi smiled sweetly. With everybody else asleep, it was the perfect time to talk with Akane. Walking overt to Akane's, she pulled out the chair and sat in it. Sitting beside Akane on her bed wouldn't be as productive as she wanted. There had to be an air of authority maintained as she talked with her younger sister. "What do you think you can do," she asked.

Akane looked everywhere but at her. "I guess I should go find Ranma and bring him back." It was half statement and half question. She had no idea of how to approach the situation.

Luckily, Kasumi had had time to think upon the problem. "I don't think that that would be a very good idea." This caused Akane to look up at her. Before Akane could interrupt her with questions, she continued. "You weren't very nice to him. Now, Ranma is a very forgiving person, but I think you went just a little too far. Running after him and asking him to come back will just make matters worse."

"But…What do I do in the meantime?"

"Nothing. With your actions, both past and present, I think you have no say in the matter anymore. It's all up to Ranma now."

Akane's mouth worked as she tried to formulate both questions and answers to the statement at the same time. Kasumi waited patiently until she was able to think coherently. "I was pretty cruel, wasn't I," she stated.

Kasumi nodded. "I'd have hoped that you two would have gotten past your little squabbles, but I see that such wasn't the case." Akane hung her head. Most of the fighting had been because of her and her own pride. Allowing Ranma too close to her hadn't been an option, considering she'd been forced into the engagement. And, with the denial of his feelings during the wedding fiasco, she'd just started pushing him further away. "I see that you have a few things to think through. But I see that you have no more say with the relationship between you two. If he wants to get back with you, then it's his choice."

"But what about the engagement between the Saotome line and Tendo line? That leaves you and Nabiki, doesn't it?" The fathers would want to continue the line. If Ranma wouldn't be marrying Akane, there were two other candidates.

"I don't think there's a problem there. You were about the only logical choice for the marriage. Father won't try engaging either of us to Ranma. If they tried, they'd find life most displeasing." There were ways that Kasumi could exact her displeasure upon the two. Though her nature tended to be overly-sweet, she had her own feelings and desires. Marrying Ranma wasn't in the equation.

And Nabiki wouldn't go for it in an instant. She'd shot that idea down before it had become a topic to discuss between the two fathers. And they wouldn't want to cross her.

Standing up, Kasumi headed for the door. "Why don't you get some more sleep? I'll come get you when breakfast is ready."

Akane nodded, sliding down into her covers.

Closing the door behind her, Kasumi sighed. It had been a hard day and a half. She went about her usual duties with a smile. Things would get better, she knew. They always did.

**********

Ranma spent Sunday studying his schoolwork. At least a couple of hours worth. The rest of the time was spent practicing his martial arts. He learned more about the human anatomy than he'd ever imagined with Dr. Tofu's help. There were a lot of spots on the body that would cause someone to heal faster and others to render someone immobile for long periods of time. The latter would come in handy if he had to fight Ryoga again, which hadn't been too recently, he reflected thankfully.

There was nothing untoward that happened throughout the day, only getting some water splashed on himself once. Nothing unnatural. Towards the end of the night, though, he began to worry about the next day. Monday would bring him within range of Akane. He tossed and turned for about an hour before finally going to sleep.

Another teenager was having problems getting to sleep for the same sort of reasons. Akane was sitting on her bed, holding one of her stuffed animals tightly. Her concern was how Ranma would react to her presence. They would be in the same class most of the day, so they wouldn't be able to avoid each other. It was going to be a rough day for them both, she knew. She eventually dozed off, curled up in a ball under her covers, clutching her stuffed pig in a death grip.

When morning did come, both youths woke with foggy heads from having had disturbing dreams. They readied themselves and headed to school. Ranma made it to school in record time, as Dr. Tofu had risen early and woken Ranma when he needed to get up. Ranma hadn't had a fight with his father or Akane, so there was no reason for him to have a hard time of getting to school on time.

Ranma was standing on the other side of the courtyard when Akane arrived. He was being stared at by most of the student body because he hadn't arrived with his fiancée. A few remarks drifted his way, but he tried to ignore them. Akane didn't see him when she came through the entry. She hung her head, not looking around. Avoiding everybody as best as she could, she went to class. Ranma was watching her when somebody touched him on the shoulder from behind. Trying to cover his surprise, he turned to find Ukyo standing there. She smiled, having seen his reaction. It wasn't often that somebody got the better of Ranma.

"Going to stay out here all day?" Ukyo pointed up at the clock tower. "Only a few minutes until classes start and it'd probably be a first for you to actually be early, ne?"

Ranma smiled at the remark. "Yeah. Why not try something new?" Saying this, he headed into the building with Ukyo at his side. Other students were streaming into class, casting curious looks at Ranma as he continued on his way. He made it to class without incident, though.

The entire morning strained the nerves of both Ranma and Akane. They avoided looking at each other, not wanting to confront the other with the previous events that had caused them such grief. The air seemed to crackle with the tension. Most of the other students noticed the way the former couple were acting towards each other.

By the end of the morning the entire class was abuzz. Notes were passed around, many of them ending up on Ranma's and Akane's desks. They chose to ignore the notes after a time, which only caused the students to raise their eyebrows and create some of the most absurd assumptions. When the lunch bell rang, the students gathered into small groups, discussing strategies of how to extract information from their recalcitrant victims. Ranma allowed Akane to get out of the class before him, seeing her being pulled away by some of her friends. The girls surrounding her were all full with questions.

"What's the deal with you two, Akane?"

"Did Ranma have another fiancée show up?"

"What did Ranma say for you to give him the cold shoulder?"

"Are the two of you still engaged?" Akane whirled in the direction of the question, a stricken look on her face. This wasn't lost on some of the students.

"If you two aren't engaged anymore, can I have a shot at him," one of them ventured.

"He's fair game now, isn't he," another shot.

A few of the girls had a predatory look when these questions were thrown out. They hadn't liked it when Akane had been the center of attention for the guys. Now that she wasn't engaged to Ranma, they could exact their revenge and date her ex-fiancée.

Sofi managed to squeeze in next to Akane, latching onto her arm. With a bit of impolite shoving and a few muttered curses, she got Akane out of the crowd that was mauling her with questions. By the time they got away, poor Akane was looking like a hunted animal.

With Akane looking wild-eyed, Sofi thought it would be best if she didn't expose her to the student body again for a little while. Thus, she took her to the locker room to settle the poor girl down.

The locker room was empty, thankfully. Sofi took Akane to a sink and began fussing over her, while Akane just stared at the ground. While she was doing this, they heard a couple of girls enter. They were talking animatedly about the latest gossip.

"—and you know that she deserves it. Especially after all of the guys were fawning over her last year. Now it's her turn to feel the sting of being ignored. It was obvious that he was so stuck on her that he wouldn't even bother to look at any other girls."

Sofi's breath caught. Now was not the time for Akane to hear these things.

Another girl's voice said, "Yeah, she does deserve getting the treatment she's getting from Ranma. Everybody knows that she's always hitting him for the smallest reasons. If he were my fiancée, I'd make sure that he didn't have any others. I'd have taken care of it a long time ago. It just goes to show that she really never had him in the first place." Her laugh was chilling.

"If he were mine, I'd have laid claim on him long before now. Just think of all that man there is there." A wistful sigh.

By now, Akane's cheeks were flaming from embarrassment and indignation. Sofi walked around the lockers to confront the girls. It was Midori and Oyuki. They looked surprised to find somebody else in the locker room. It wasn't obvious why they were here during the lunch hour, but it wasn't any good, as far as Sofi was concerned.

Without giving them a chance to utter anything, Sofi slapped both across the face. Their stricken looks flashed into anger and they were about to jump Sofi when they heard a voice behind them.

"Lay one finger on her and you'll have to fight me." Akane stood there, her aura surrounding her in a ruby glow. The girls dropped their hands to their sides, not wanting to get pummeled by an angered Akane. It wasn't that they were unwilling to fight, but they knew that Akane could beat up any of the guys in school, except Ranma, which meant that they would be minced meat in only a matter of seconds. They decided that another location would be in the best interest of their continuing health. Fleeing, they passed by Sofi, who just watched the spectacle.

When the two were gone, Akane unclenched her fists and her aura flared out. Her shoulders slumped and Sofi heard a sniffle. Taking Akane back around the lockers to the sinks, she helped Akane calm down, uttering soothing words.

Akane eventually got a hold of herself.

"Why can people be such cruel creatures, Sofi-chan?"

"I don't know, Akane-chan. Some are just like that, I guess. Besides, it doesn't matter what they think, now does it? The only ones that do matter are you, family, and friends. The others can just go take a long walk off of a short pier, ne?"

Akane smiled at the visualization of the last remark, as Sofi had intended.

Meanwhile, the other half of the subject of school was having problems of his own. When he had exited the class and the girls had whisked Akane away, the guys had rushed Ranma.

"Yo, Ranma, you get into another fight with Akane?"

"What did you do this time, Ranma?"

"Did Akane finally give up on you?"

Sick of all the questions, Ranma chose the most expedient way out of the hall. A window was open nearby and he leaped out of it. Looking down, he saw his worst nightmare come back to him. Water. The pool was just below him. He turned it into a graceful dive. Sputtering, Ranma-onna climbed out of the pool and dashed off in the distance. Her fellow students watched the spectacle and some more outrageous rumors began sprouting up.

Ranma-onna was heading towards Dr. Tofu's so that she could change into some dry clothes and change back. She hoped that she could do it before class started. Holding a pail of water in the hall for being late wasn't fun by any stretch of the imagination. Granted, it didn't affect her as much as the other students, but it was so boring.

Rounding a corner, the clinic came in sight. Pulling a key on a string from her shirt, she unlocked the door of the private entrance and found some dry clothes. Changed, he sat down for a moment to collect his thoughts. He knew that today would be rough, but the questions had been shot at him all through the day. First in the form of notes, which he'd tried to ignore, and then by the shouts directed at him. The general din had just been too much for him to handle.

He was tempted to just stay right where he was until tomorrow, but that idea was quickly discarded. Getting up, he stepped outside and locked the door behind himself. Hopping up onto a nearby fence, he headed back to school.

Back in the locker room, Akane realized that she was keeping Sofi from having lunch. Without a word, she grabbed her friend by the arm and headed out to find something to eat. The retrieved their bento lunch boxes and found a shady spot to sit for their meal. Wolfing down their food, they were able to witness Ranma's return. Sofi watched Akane intently.

Akane tracked Ranma as he crossed the school grounds. He had changed, she noted. She decided that he'd probably gotten wet again. She started to get up and intercept her former fiancée. Ranma happened to see her movement and stopped. His look stopped her. It held no emotion, as far as she could tell. Turning, he went into the school, leaving Akane half-standing. Recovering herself, she plopped back down and looked at her lunch. She had no appetite.

Sofi catalogued the incident for future reference, intent to find out exactly what it was that had happened. So far, however, Akane had refused to talk about the bad blood between the two.

The warning bell rang and the two closed their boxes, dashing into the building so they wouldn't be late for class.

When all of the students were seated, there were a few subdued students. Midori and Oyuki were avoiding looking at Akane, trying to prevent her wrath descending upon them. They didn't know that Akane had put the incident behind her, since her friend had convinced her that they really didn't matter.

A student started to pass a note to Ranma, but only received a cold stare from him. A look of trepidation crossed the student's features and decided that passing a note to Ranma at the moment wouldn't be the wisest decision of the day. Returning his eyes to the front, Ranma began to pay attention to the lecture. It couldn't hold his attention, however, and his eyes wandered to Akane. With a start, he realized what he was doing and jerked his gaze to the window.

Sofi, who had been watching him out of the corner of her eye, caught this, though. The day eventually ended.

Akane was walking home alone, feeling the emptiness. Ranma should be there, with his usual japing. But it was different today. He wasn't walking above her and calling down insults…or just watching her. That's what she'd liked best.

On impulse, she leaped to the fence. She'd always wanted to, but had been afraid that if she fell that Ranma would never let her hear the end of it.

It felt good to look down on the world from here, she realized. Granted, she had to spend a lot more of her concentration on the balancing than Ranma, but she now knew why he liked it up here. Pausing for a moment, she stood looking towards the western horizon where the sun was falling.

Her thoughts swirled around the subject of why she had blown up the way she had on prom night. There was no explanation, as far as she could tell. That's what scared her. Why had she just gotten so angry and taken it out on Ranma? And what she had said to him afterwards had been so unnatural. The words had tasted like bile in her mouth, but she had uttered them. She really didn't feel that way about Ranma. Granted, he could be so exasperating at times, but she didn't hate him, really.

The sun had made its way much closer to its eminent extinguishing before Akane brought herself back to the present world. With a sigh, she decided that she'd just have to talk to Ranma and apologize once and for all. She just had to find the right time to do it. Her actions were out of order and the situation needed to be rectified before they could continue with their lives. Jumping down from the fence, she dashed off to the dojo.

**********

A place in the shadow of Mount Fuji. The cavern was spacious. Stalactites hung near the ground, enticing the stalagmites to reach up and touch them like the fingers of lost lovers. Only a few had made the attempt and succeeded. There was a cleared area in the center of the cavern where a shrine was constructed.

Before the shrine was a withered creature in an age-faded robe. His bald pate reflected the torch flame. Only a faint whisper could be heard from the hunched figure, a sound that repeated itself over and over. It sounded like a mantra, drawing it into a deep meditative state. Time passed, as it always does. The chanting slowly faded as the figure drew deeper into itself, focusing on its own life force. Ghost-fingers touched vital areas in the globe of light, emitting flashes that triggered more radiant bursts from the orb that was the life of the tiny being. Thus, its life was extended for a longer time.

When it was done, it brought itself back to the land of the living and awareness of its surroundings became ever sharper. A soft rustling alerted it that there was something behind it, causing its body to tense. A familiar smell, however, caused it to relax. It turned to look into the eyes of the visitor.

"I'm glad to see you after all this time. What is it I can do for you this time?" The small being relaxed into a modest repose. The visitor did likewise.

"I have come to make a request of you. There is a young man that will be traveling in the near future. I would like it if you would train him for a short time. He has great potential, but he needs a worthy instructor for the task. You are one of the best in this mortal plane. Would you be willing to shoulder the task?"

"And what might be the training this youth may need?" The request had piqued its interest.

"To find his weaknesses and cure them. Also to improve on his strengths. I see that he may surpass even you. He has a unique way about him, though. He learns quickly, but he has a hard time with other things. There are many issues with this youth. Find them and heal the wounds he has acquired through the years. I know that only you can do this. He'll be traveling by himself. You will be able to direct him here through one of your associates in the outskirts of Kyoto. It is assured that he will be stopping there."

"It sounds like a difficult task. I must say that I will accept the challenge." The blood rushed through its veins. *Something worthwhile to do after all of these years of puttering about. Ah, training again. What a joy it is to do so.*

"Keep this for me, please." The visitor dropped a rose in front of the reposing figure. "Do not handle it for more than a moment. The magic that has been imbued within is quite powerful."

"Were you the one who bespelled this rose?"

"Nay. The two who touched it were the ones that put the power there. It was only I that brought about the catalyst for its transformation. It was only a petal before. I only hope that it will be able to use its power for the two when I have need of it. I...I did something that was less than honorable. Therefore, I must atone for it. It will be a while before I see you again. Farewell, and may the Kami bless you."

"And you, old friend. Do not be too harsh with yourself. You only do what you see that needs to be done. Do not overdue your own punishment." Taking the rose, the small man put it onto the altar where it would wait for the time it would be used for its singular purpose.

**********

Ryoga was confused. He didn't know where he was…again. Everything looked unfamiliar. The only things that seemed to be familiar to him anymore were the Tendo dojo and Akari's. But he hadn't seen them for a few months. His rations were running low. It was high time for him to stock up again. But where?

Spying a shop, he headed towards it. Opening the door, he found that it was exactly what he needed for once. It was small, but it should have what he required for his travels.

The shopkeeper saw the young man and pulled himself away from the counter to help him.

"Is there anything that I can help you with, sir?"

Looking up from the small ration pack he was inspecting, Ryoga asked, "Do you have any iron rations? Something that'll keep a little longer than this kind here?"

A thoughtful look crossed the clerk's face. "Just one moment, please. Let me check my inventory." Rubbing his hands together, he went behind the counter and started punching on a keyboard. A listing of items appeared on the monitor. "You're in luck, sir. I have only a week's supply of the rations left of what you need. How will you be paying? Cash, check, or credit card?"

Ryoga smiled. "Cash. I don't need a bag or anything. I'll just be putting them in my backpack." He received the goods and paid for them.

Something caught his eye. Walking over, he saw a matching pair of walking sticks. An idea struck him and he decided that they would be great for a couple he knew. They were collapsible, so he could put them in his backpack without having to carry them around or worry about them whacking him in the head as they stuck out of his backpack. The clerk smiled and took the proffered money, giving the change back. Ryoga put them up and headed for the door. Surprisingly enough, he was able to find the right door.

In short order, he was back outside and feeling better about the world.

After a few moments of wandering, however, his opinion changed. Once again, he was lost. The sun was starting to dip to the horizon and he knew that he'd have to find somewhere to camp for the night. Putting his head down, he headed off in a random direction. He knew that he would eventually wander somewhere that would accommodate his needs.

An hour later, he finally looked up to find himself…in front of the Tendo dojo. *YES! Now I can sleep in a nice, warm room.* Joy filled his heart as he found the spot where he could stash his backpack. *Now, to find some cold water.* He'd promised Ranma that he'd sleep at the foot of Akane's bed if there was no way of getting out of the room and find Ranma's room, but that didn't seem to work all of the time. Besides, if he went in as himself, it was bound to happen that he'd get splashed by cold water and be forced to stay as P-chan, anyways. They both knew the chances of that happening, so Ranma had reluctantly agreed to let him stay as P-chan when he invariably wandered to the dojo. 'What were friends for,' Ranma had said.

Looking around, he spied a water spout that would do the trick. Turning the faucet, he was transformed from a muscular young man to a small, black piglet. Grabbing as much of his clothes in his teeth, he dragged them over to where his backpack was at. He had no trouble finding it because it was in sight of the faucet. Thus, he never got lost.

When the clothes were stashed with his backpack, he found the entrance of the dojo. Looking around, didn't spy Ranma anywhere about. With his little heart pumping, he sprinted for the front door. He began emitting loud squeals and scratched at the door. It opened to reveal Kasumi, who picked him up.

"Oh, P-chan. Akane will be happy to see you after this last weekend. It's been awhile since you've been here, hasn't it? She'd almost given up hope of ever seeing you again." She walked upstairs and knocked on Akane's door. Akane answered the door in her pajamas. Seeing P-chan, she gave a squeal of delight. Kasumi handed the piglet to her younger sister.

"Thanks, Kasumi. Where did you find him?"

"He was scratching at the front door. Maybe this time he'll stay around." She didn't sound convinced of her own words, however. How many times had P-chan disappeared in the past two years?

Akane was too delighted to let herself be concerned about that at the moment. Cuddling P-chan to her, she hugged her sister and closed the door. She practically leaped to her bed where she started to squeeze the life out of the poor animal. Eventually, though, she set him down and picked up the plate of cookies that were sitting on her desk. She began to feed the piglet.

P-chan began munching contentedly on the sweet morsels, savoring them. It had been a long time since he'd had anything remotely as fresh. Granted, they were a little stale from having sat out for a few hours, but they were better than rations.

When he was fed, Akane found the corner of the wall and the bed. Taking P-chan and laying him in her lap, she began spilling her heart out like she always did with him.

It was obvious from the start that the center of the problem was Ranma. But there was a different tone to the way Akane was speaking. She was talking about how she had behaved towards him. P-chan had trouble placing the feeling he was getting from her. It seemed more like…remorse?

This caught his attention more than the words she was saying. His usual conclusions about Ranma were put aside as he began focusing on the words she was saying.

"…I did something really horrible just a few days ago. Poor Ranma didn't even have a chance. I was so mean to him that he'll never forgive me."

This perked P-chan's ears up. Ranma not forgive Akane? That was like saying that the sun wasn't going to come up in the morning. Sure, Ranma had his faults, but P-chan knew that Ranma was one of the most forgiving people. Especially when it came to Akane.

"I hurt him, I know. Then I added insult to injury by saying that I hated him. How could I be so cruel?"

She was always saying that she had some dislike for Ranma. This whole situation was confusing P-chan. Why was she so distraught about her hitting Ranma and then saying she didn't like him? It was nothing new to him.

"All he said to me was that he was going to college somewhere else and then I blew up on him. There was no reason for me to get mad at him. Why did I do it, though?" With a soft wail, she grabbed P-chan and crushed him in a rough embrace. He knew not to struggle, considering where he was. He knew the anatomy of Akane very well, having been in this predicament many times. Something warm landed on his ear.

He realized that Akane was crying. It was all Ranma's fault…or was it? She'd admitted that it was her fault. The revelation confused him. He reviewed what had been told him.

One: Ranma told Akane he was going to college somewhere else. Okay, no reason to fault him there. Granted, he should be going to the same college, since they were engaged. It didn't hurt his feelings too badly that he wasn't, but that was besides the point.

Two: Akane got mad at him. Nothing new. Exactly why, though?

Three: Akane said that she 'hated' him. Okay, that seemed a little extreme, even for her, but not altogether out of character.

Four: Why wouldn't Ranma forgive Akane for what she'd done. He got worse treatment from everybody else. Even him, he knew. They'd rectified that misunderstanding a little just before he'd gotten lost last time. They weren't on the best of terms, but he wasn't out to kill him anymore.

What was the problem?

Akane finally released her death grip on the little piglet and set him back in her lap. "Now I can't even get close enough to him to tell him I'm sorry at school," she said. "Since he's not here anymore, I can't just go down the hallway to talk with him."

P-chan's thoughts came to a screeching halt. *What did she just say? Ranma wasn't here anymore?* He sat back and looked up at Akane. She was staring off into space, lost to the world. Her idle pronouncement more than startled him. *What exactly had happened for him to actually leave the Tendo dojo?*

Her next words shocked him even more.

"And now that we're not engaged anymore, the both of us are having a hard time at school. I'm getting hounded by the girls and the guys are giving Ranma a hard time as well. It'll be the other way around here shortly, I'm sure."

This was entirely too much for P-chan.

They weren't engaged anymore? After all of the times everybody else had tried to break them up, they weren't engaged? And over a simple little fight about Ranma going to a different college? P-chan's brain began working beyond its capacity at all of the questions that were popping up. Shutdown occurred. With a small squeal, poor P-chan passed out cold.

Akane realized the little piglet had passed out in her lap. Picking him up, she said, "You must be exhausted. Here, let me get you a little more comfortable." She turned out the light and snuggled up with P-chan, falling asleep soon afterwards.

P-chan never woke the entire night as his body tried to repair the damage to the brain cells.

**********

The next morning dawned clear, to the relief of Ranma. He wasn't in the mood for getting soaked on the way to school. Finishing his breakfast, he headed out.

He was running on the fence. Hearing his name called, he stopped and turned in the direction of the sound. Ukyo jumped down from the rooftop to land beside the fence where he stood. She was breathing hard, trying valiantly to even out her breathing and wiping the perspiration from her forehead.

"You huff run too darned huff fast, Ranchan." Ranma hopped down from his perch.

"Whatcha come all the way over here for? You could've been to school already."

"I just wanted to walk to school with you today. Got a problem with that?" Unable to respond with anything, Ranma shrugged and continued on his way to school. Ukyo matched the pace he set. After a time they were sprinting to school, Ranma holding back for Ukyo.

As he was watching Ukyo run, a thought intruded on him. *Akane wouldn't be having this much trouble. She may not be as fast as me, but at least she doesn't have as much trouble.* It seemed that Ukyo wasn't training like she should lately.

Ukyo looked up at him and threw a smile his direction, though a little strained. He gestured in kind. Looking forward, Ranma saw the school coming up rapidly.

He slowed down, to the relief of Ukyo, and began walking beside her.

Akane was waiting just inside the gates of the school for Ranma. Seeing him, she stepped forward to intercept him before he could enter the school. Upon seeing her, his smile fell off and was replaced by one of seeming indifference. His thoughts, however, were whirling tumultuously. Akane saw this and she looked down meekly.

"I'm sorry for what I said the other day, Ranma. It was-" She was cut off by Ukyo, who stepped between her and Ranma.

"I think you've said enough. Why don't you let it lie and leave Ranma alone? After what you did, you still have the nerve to talk to him? What, you want to kick him some more? Or maybe even send him into Low Earth Orbit?" She was ticked. After what Akane had done to Ranma, trying to corner him was inexcusable. It didn't matter whether or not she wanted to apologize. The time for apologies was past.

"I know that what I did was wrong. And that's why I'm trying to apologize. I-"

She was quieted by a rough shove from Ukyo. Stumbling backwards, she landed on her posterior. Ranma saw this and his ire began to rise. Even though they weren't engaged, he still felt the need to protect her from anybody.

Ukyo was standing over Akane, ready to continue the fight. An idea formed in Ranma's mind and he acted upon it.

"If you two want to fight, don't let me stop you. I'm tired of you all fighting over me, though. I don't have any fiancées anymore, so there's no reason for it as far as I can tell. But, by all means, act like alley c-cats and fight each other. It's all that's ever happened around here." Then, stiffly, he walked into the school. Ukyo and Akane just stared at his retreating back. Feeling the admonishment like a physical slap, Ukyo caught up with Ranma. She hung back a little, saying nothing.

Akane got up with the help of some of her friends. Brushing herself off, she went in the school. Class started soon after the students entered their classes. Only a few students deigned to comment on the incident. A few girls sent notes to Ranma, to his disgust, asking if he would like to go with them to a café. It was only an irritation at the moment, so he let it pass. Akane, on the other hand, was not appreciating the requests for her to go on a date with the guys.

After a while, though, the guys left Akane alone. She had begun to rip up the notes without looking at them. They took the hint.

The morning wore on, draining the students. School was always a chore. Only a few could manage to keep themselves even slightly interested in the subject matter. Eventually, though, the morning ended and lunch was the next subject of the day, to the delight of all those concerned.

By the time ten minutes had passed, Ranma had been approached seven separate times by some of the young ladies that attended school with him. They ranged from freshmen to seniors. The younger ones wanted to have a raise in status among their peers. The seniors, on the other hand, wanted to have Ranma. Sure, it would be a step up for some of them within their own circle of friends, but Ranma was a good catch for anybody. He would be a prize that could be paraded around school. Ranma, however, would have none of the hounding.

That's why he lost his cool on the eighth girl. She was only a junior. A couple of her friends had dared her, seeing if she had the guts to approach someone of Ranma's legendary status in school. He hadn't been able to find Ukyo, to his dismay, who might have staved off the barrage of girls that seemed to surround him.

"Ranma-sempai?" The girl's voice had a small tremble. Someone didn't just approach Ranma and ask him out without a little anxiety. "Could I have a moment, please? I-I mean is…would you consider going to, uh…" By this time, Ranma's blood was boiling. She saw the cold expression on his face. Backing up, she didn't get away in time.

There was a small explosion in the middle of the cafeteria.

"I'm sick and tired of you all thinking that I'm just some piece of meat! Can't you all understand that I'm not interested! Not a day goes by that I'm not hounded by somebody else! First one fiancée and then another. Then, when I don't have any, all the girls line up!" He wasn't looking at the terrified teenager. Instead, he was looking at his clenched fists. For some reason they fascinated him. All that power contained within could probably decimate the entire school grounds. And yet he couldn't control the social events that continued to tangle its web around him.

In a voice that froze those that surrounded him, he said, "First I get engaged to Akane. Fine. Then Kodachi wants me, then Shampoo, then Ukyo. I'm sick of it. Just plain sick of all the fiancées. Seems like a month doesn't go by when another shows up, trying to lay a claim on me. Well, no more. Anybody tries, then they've got another thing comin'." Looking up, he saw the faces of those surrounding him, which was practically the entire school.

"Everybody thinks I'm either some kind of pervert or womanizer. I didn't want the fiancées, but they just showed up. Now that I don't have any fiancées, I want to be left alone." Feeling that his point had been bashed into their heads, he walked out. A path was made for him instantly. He felt that he couldn't face the rest of the day at school. Getting his bag, he decided that the park would be a quiet place. Everybody was either at work or school. Nobody would be there to bother him.

He settled down in the shade of a tree, relaxing. The soft caress of the wind brought about a peaceful feeling within. Closing his eyes, he began his meditation. After a moment, he felt himself falling into the familiar lethargy.

**********

While Ranma had been getting harassed by the females, a couple of others were confronting each other in a hallway of the school.

Ukyo stood a few paces from Akane. Her stance wasn't friendly, yet it wasn't threatening, at the moment. Akane read this and assumed a relaxed stance. She was still prepared for an attack.

"I'd like to have a word with you, Tendo Akane. I offer a challenge to you. At five o'clock tomorrow on the exercise grounds. We will discuss what you did to Ranma at length. I don't appreciate what you did, so I plan to teach you a lesson you'll not forget for quite some time."

Akane felt a chill run down her spine. Ukyo had always been pretty nice to her before, even when she'd been a rival for Ranma's affections. Now, however, she seemed seriously ticked off. She couldn't blame her. *I'd be mad at me if my best friend had been hurt like I'd done to Ranma. Nothing to do but to accept.* "All right. I'll accept your challenge. But I want to make myself clear. I don't want you harassing me afterwards. This one fight and it's over. Not like it's been with everybody else in the past. Agreed?"

Ukyo took a moment to consider this. When she defeated Akane in battle, she wouldn't need to make her point any clearer. "Agreed. Remember. Tomorrow at five in the afternoon." Turning on her heel, she walked away.

Akane turned around to find several students staring at her. Undaunted, she went downstairs to the cafeteria. There was a slight commotion, which attracted her attention. It usually wouldn't have, but Ranma seemed to be the topic. She listened intently.

"Yep, he just got mad and started yelling," she heard someone saying. She focused on the voice.

"What for? Him and Akane get in another fight or something? Or did another fiancée show up?" It irked her that some people still thought that all she and Ranma ever did was argue. She granted the fool this one time to continue his existence so she could hear the rest of the story.

"Nah. It was just Haroko Mishi. She asked if he wanted to go out with her. A little bold, if you ask me. But she did, so I don't really blame Ranma for getting mad. What with him being asked several times already. C'mon, the guy just broke up with his fiancée of two years. You think he's gonna want to go out with somebody right after? I know I didn't want to go out with another girl after I broke up with my old girlfriend."

"Aw, you're joking. Right? Ranma's always looking for girls. Not so long ago he had four fiancées and had more show up every once in a while."

"Nope. I know for a fact that he likes Akane better than any of the others that he ever had. Think about it. He got rid of all the others and still kept Akane. How they broke up is still a mystery, but I think that he likes her still. It's always looked that they fight because he can't get a word in edgewise with Akane. Whenever he gets glomped by a girl, she takes it the wrong way. Usually it's not Ranma's fault." Akane got a glimpse of the student that had been talking on Ranma's behalf. There was something out of place about him, she sensed, but couldn't place it. What he was saying was striking true, by her reckoning. The truth still hurt, though.

"So he really said that he was sick of all the girls thinking he was some piece of meat, huh?"

"Un. I don't think any of the girls around here are going to ask him out anytime soon. At least for their sake, I hope not." He turned his head a little as he was talking. She saw that he had a small gold earring in the shape of a horn dangling from his left hear. Jewelry wasn't authorized while in the school uniform for boys. It appeared he was done talking to his friends. He stepped away from the other student he had been talking to. Seeing him round a corner, she decided to ask him a few questions.

This fellow seemed to have a pretty good insight about what Ranma felt. Maybe she could use the information from him to make up with Ranma. What he'd said so far would be invaluable. She probably couldn't get back with him, but she could at least make it so he didn't dislike her so much. Rounding the corner, she saw that the hallway was empty. She's only lost sight of him for a second, she knew.

Bewildered, she looked around to find no trace of the fellow. She was a little disturbed at this but decided that she had better get herself some lunch.

**********

Ranma felt refreshed after his meditation. It could be useful for many things. Calming down after a hair-raising battle, thinking disturbing problems through, and even paying attention in school. That last had been a shock to him. Who'd have thought that a simple mind exercise could keep him alert in class to pay attention to the teacher? It'd helped in the past several months as he'd tried to get his grades up.

A smile split his face. He'd made sure that all the others wouldn't know about how his grades had miraculously skyrocketed. That had been what prompted him to take the entrance exams for college. The test had been difficult, only because he'd increased his knowledge about what he'd studied thus far with the mental exercises. It hadn't been that he slacked. His problem had been the fact that he couldn't put forth the simple effort of paying attention to a boring lecture, as he saw it. He wasn't a genius, by far. It was that he didn't have the problem with school like before.

Even being out this afternoon like this wouldn't put him behind much in class. All that English was getting predictable by now. Math wasn't so hard, as long as one didn't get the equations crossed. Many other subjects had opened themselves to him as he'd tried different exercises to learn more.

Even now, as he reflected on it, it was similar to how he'd learned all the difficult martial arts attacks to date. He'd wanted to claim the find as his own, only to find that a lot of people had a measure of the same control. They may not be martial artists, but they had the mental discipline that could be used for studying.

It was still good to relax after having yelled at the poor girl. She hadn't deserved being humiliated in front of everybody, but he'd been feeling the pressure unbearably. An apology would be in order, but it would have to be in a way that wouldn't endanger him in getting a new fiancée or incurring the wrath of yet another female.

His danger senses suddenly kicked in. There was somebody approaching. The cadence of the feet on the grass sounded familiar, but he hadn't heard it in quite some time.

He opened his eyes. Standing not far away was Ryoga. He seemed to look a tad bit ticked, as usual. Ranma stood.

"What is it, P-chan?"

Ryoga visibly flinched at the insult. "I've come to ask what you did to Akane."

"What, not going to say 'Die Ranma' and attack as usual?" Ranma watched his foe's body language, trying to gauge whether or not a battle was to ensue. Seeing no eminent attack, he relaxed with his back against the tree.

"No. I've given it some thought and decided that you need at least this one chance to explain yourself. It seems to me that there's…I don't know. Akane kept saying how she hurt you. I found out that you weren't staying at the dojo anymore, so I thought something was wrong. So I decided to hear the story from you, too. Care to explain?" He'd left this morning, wondering if he could ever find Ranma. It was only luck that had brought him here after a few hours of roaming aimlessly.

Motioning for Ryoga to sit, Ranma gathered his thoughts. "Hmmm. Where to begin? Well, I guess that from the start will do." Ranma pulled a blade of grass up, shredding it with his fingernails. Staring at what his hands were doing but with a distant look, he said, "Here a few months ago I decided that I wanted to do more than just take over the dojo after I graduated high school. Never really gave it much thought before, considering I was always on a training trip or fighting with everybody. Then, after everything seemed to settle after the wedding attempt, I had time to think.

"I didn't want to let anybody catch on that I was going to take the entrance exams to go to college. My grades weren't the greatest, so I didn't want to see them disappointed in me when I failed. But that's the thing. I didn't fail, and I even got a decent score on the exam. Never really paid attention to school all that much, so I was worried the entire time. Then, when the scores came out, I'd made sure that nobody else would know. That was with the help of the school counselor, Mr. Ohibari.

"Well, one thing led to another and I got enrolled into a college. I looked at some of the schools and decided that they were too close to Nerima. It's nice here and all, but I need to get away from it this place for a while. Eventually, I found a college that would be great for me. It had the program that suited me if I took over the dojo, but it also had a lot of other things that I might enjoy. Only problem is, it was only a few minutes from the school Akane's going to go to."

Ryoga's eyebrows shot up at this. Ranma didn't want to go to school with Akane? After all they'd been through, it was unbelievable. Ranma saw this and smirked.

Continuing, "Yeah, well, I kinda know how you feel about being Akane's P-chan. After awhile I began to feel that she was only going to marry me so that I could get the water her father promised would cure me of my curse. But even that failed, as you know. I soon came to realize that she really didn't care about me. I didn't know how to deal with it, so I just started going out. I tried to get away from the dojo so I could study without any interruptions. There was one time where Akane followed me, so I just went to the park and practiced one of the katas I'd made recently. Usually, though, I'd just go to the library and study something. I made it look like I'd been out training or something when I came back. You know, get a little dirty, maybe even changing into my female form every once in a while. Nobody suspected me. That's part of the reason I passed the exam. I studied more than I'm used to."

"I got accepted to the college. But I decided not to tell anybody for a while. When I finally did, it was on prom night." A dark shadow crossed Ranma's face as he remembered the night. "Akane and I were at the prom and I asked her if she'd like to take a walk. Well, she said okay and so we went. When I started to tell her what I'd been doing, she got really mad. Something about me wanting to get some more girlfriends or some such."

Ryoga frowned. It sounded like Akane to jump to conclusions, but this seemed to be a bit much, even for her.

"She never let me say anything after I told her I was going to college. She wouldn't even listen when I told her that it was only half an hour away. Well, instead of her mallet, she just pushed me into the water. Kinda ruined the tux I was wearing. Mom isn't too happy about that. Akane ripped her dress when she pulled the corsage off of her dress and threw it at me. Then, when she was running away, she fell down and got all dirty." Ranma's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "She's clumsy, but I really wish she hadn't fallen as bad as she had. Then half of the mess I'm in wouldn't have happened."

This last remark perked Ryoga up. What was it that had made Ranma sound so bitter? "What do you mean by that?"

It prompted Ranma to say more. "When I got back to the dojo, well, things had gotten all out of proportion. Oyaji jumped to the conclusion that I'd-" The words choked off. It was still fresh in his memory of the rage that had consumed the old man. "He thought that I'd dishonored her, or at least tried."

Ryoga could only stare. Even he knew that Ranma wouldn't stoop to that level. After having chased him the past several years, it had finally beaten it into his head that Ranma would always be honorable. Something of that magnitude would have…There was no way, simply put. Ranma had always kept his secret from Akane, even though he'd hated it when he slept with his fiancée as a pig.

"From what I saw when I went to the dojo, there was a pretty big fight. What happened when he accused you," Ryoga asked. This whole situation just kept getting worse as Ranma told the story.

"Yeah, there was a bit of a fight. I beat up Oyaji and then went upstairs. He was unconscious when I left him. Well, when I got everything packed, since I wasn't engaged to Akane anymore and really didn't want to stay, Akane…attacked me. She blind-sided me as I was coming out of the room. When I was able to get up, she jumped me again. Well, after she was done and I'd stopped her, I left.

"I don't know how long I was wandering, but I eventually showed up at Dr. Tofu's clinic. He's letting me stay there for now. Don't know why, really, but it's pretty nice of him."

Ryoga was totally flabbergasted. There was no denying that Ranma was telling the truth, but it was still hard to swallow.

Ranma, meanwhile, had started staring off into space. This puzzled Ryoga to no end when he finally noticed. After a minute of this, Ryoga became alarmed. He knew what was going on, for he'd done it many times himself. The memories had taken over and would replay in the mind until some outside source would interfere or the memories would jolt them out of their reverie.

Deciding that it wasn't in Ranma's best interest to be doing this to himself, he reached into his backpack to get a canteen. With no remorse, he dumped the entire canteen on Ranma.

The reaction was as fast as lightning. Ranma-onna was sitting on a tree branch, looking like one of the wet cats that she abhorred. "Whatcha go and do that for? Lookin' for a fight?"

Ryoga smiled. It sounded good to spar. He stood, cracking his knuckles. Backing up a few paces, he stood ready for his opponent to attack.

Ranma-onna dropped to the ground. She became a blur, trying to confuse Ryoga. He was watching too intently to lose the redhead, though. Tracking Ranma-onna's movements, he launched an attack of his own before one could be landed. He missed, though.

Ranma-onna jumped back, landing on a rock. Poised with one leg up and hands looking like claws, she studied Ryoga. He just stood there in a ready stance. Deciding to use one of the attacks that she'd made up, she took off after Ryoga.

It was a credit to Ryoga's stamina that he was able to withstand the micro-bursts of ki that came from Ranma-onna's hands. One of them stung his fist, making it hard for him to use one of his knuckles effectively. Taking it in stride, he launched a kick at the darting form. He just couldn't keep up with her. As she neared him again, he yelled out "Shishi Houkodan!" A small crater gaped before him with no Ranma-onna in sight.

Ranma-onna crouched on a tree limb behind Ryoga, assessing the situation again. She hadn't been able to get past Ryoga's defenses like she'd wanted, but was pleased with some of the results.

Ryoga appeared to have burn marks all across his arms. He'd been blocking the majority of the ki blasts with them. Only a few had gotten past. Those few, however, had done some damage. One had landed on his solar plexus, knocking his breath out of him for a moment. It hadn't stopped him, but it had slowed him enough for two more to have landed on his chest. If it had been anybody else, they'd have been knocked off of their feet.

Ranma-onna decided to change tactics. With an evil grin, she flexed her fingers and made a fist, with only the index and middle fingers straightened. She became a blur again.

Ryoga threw a punch where he'd seen Ranma-onna. She grabbed his left wrist and sent one of her stiffened fingers at the base of his shoulder. Ryoga felt his arm go limp. Unnerved, he tried to grab Ranma-onna's hand, only to find that it wasn't there anymore. His arm was totally numb, which disturbed him. He was still tracking the smaller form. Darting in again, but lower, Ranma-onna landed a blow on Ryoga's right thigh.

To his consternation, Ryoga found himself kneeling. It was harder to follow Ranma-onna's movements this way.

One final blow sent him falling face-first into the ground. He never landed, as Ranma-onna caught him and leaned him against a tree.

"That was fun. We should try it again sometime." Her eyes sparkled as the feeling of triumph coursed through her veins. It was always good to win.

Ryoga, however, wasn't in the mood. He'd just lost to his rival…again. "You cheated." He sounded like a sulking child, even to his own ears, but he couldn't help it.

Ranma-onna threw back her head and laughed. She wished she could take a picture. Ryoga couldn't even move a muscle and was accusing her of cheating. Her mirth soon caught him up in it and he was laughing with her.

"Here, let me help you." Ranma-onna leaned forward and started poking various places on Ryoga's body. After a moment, Ryoga was able to move again. Flexing his arms, he sat up straighter.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Ranma-onna had never used such tactics on him before.

"Oh, here and there," was the cryptic reply.

An idea came into Ryoga's head. "Didn't you say before that you're staying with Dr. Tofu?"

"Yup. Sure did." Her eyes twinkled. A grunt was her only response. "Hey, how about coming with me? I don't thing Dr. Tofu will mind if you camp out in his back yard for the night."

He thought about the offer. After the revelation of the recent events, he was leery of going back to the dojo. It wasn't that he was afraid of going back, but he wanted to have some time to sort his own feelings out. With Akane and Akari on his mind, he couldn't think straight half of the time. "Why not? Lead the way."

They both stood, Ryoga retrieving his backpack and umbrella. The two friends made their way to Dr. Tofu's clinic, so that Ranma-onna could change and Ryoga could have a place to stay for the night.

**********

Ranma woke up early the next morning to make breakfast for the three of them. He and Ryoga had been up late into the night, reminiscing. The smell of the food cooking woke the other two. Walking in with pleasant smiles, they sat down at the table to await the meal. In short order, the three of them were eating.

Not a single piece of food was left, even after the battle for food had ensued. Dr. Tofu had found out that Ranma had fought over the food with his father and had decided that it was a good way to keep one on one's toes. He'd started to fight Ranma for the food, to the young man's delight. This morning had resulted with three people fighting over the food, since Ryoga hadn't wanted to be left out of the fun.

Sitting back, the three looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter.

Ranma's eyes caught the time on the clock and his face paled. Jumping up, he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

"See you later, Ryoga. Gotta go. Bye," he threw over his shoulder.

"Later, Ranma," was the reply.

Dr. Tofu and Ryoga cleared the table of the dishes. "Where are you going from here, Ryoga," Dr. Tofu asked as they dried the dishes.

"Dunno yet. I'll know when I get there, though."

Dr. Tofu smiled. "Don't we all. Well, let me give you something for your travels before I forget." Shuffling through some cabinets, he eventually found what he was looking for. Handing over the camp stove, he said, "I saw the condition yours is in. I don't use this all that often, so I'd like you to have it." Ryoga started to protest, but they were waved away. "I insist. What you did for Ranma by showing up is payment enough. He's been moping around a lot the past few days. The remedy you brought by just from showing up has helped. He's going through a rough time, and I appreciate what you've done. Now, take this and don't complain."

Bowing his thanks, Ryoga took the proffered gift and put it in his backpack. "Thanks for letting me stay and for the meals." Dr. Tofu left to attend to his appointments.

Ryoga began working on a kata. He'd wait for Ranma to show back up from school. He'd been offered a place to stay for a couple of days before he'd take off. In the meantime, he'd work on his martial arts forms.

**********

Ranma barely made it to class on time. Akane raised her eyebrow at his near tardiness and the smile that was plastered on his face. Keeping her questions to herself, she turned her attention to the teacher.

Ranma was enjoying himself immensely. Last night had been a release. It wasn't often that he was able to sit down and talk, just for the sake of it. Most of the time he'd talked to Ukyo, but that had been hindered by the fact that she was female. After he'd found out, he'd had a little trouble talking about guy-stuff. With Ryoga, though, it was easy.

Turning his attention to the teacher, he almost missed the whispered conversations around him.

Several students were discussing the eminent fight this afternoon. Ranma picked up on the fact, trying to glean more information from his surroundings. When one mentioned who was going to fight, he almost jumped out of his seat. *Maybe I should let them? Nah.*

With a grin, a plan began forming in his head.

The day ended and Ranma made his way back to Dr. Tofu's. Flying through the door, he found Ryoga in the back yard. He appeared to be reading from a scroll. Skidding to a halt in front of Ryoga, he began talking animatedly. "Hey, I need your help with something real fast. The girls are going to do something stupid and we've gotta stop 'em."

Ryoga looked up from the scroll. "What do you mean, stupid?"

"Oh, Ukyo challenged Akane and she accepted. They're going to fight at five o'clock. We gotta stop them before there's too much bad blood between them. They get along too well to be fighting like this. Besides, I don't want either of them hurt. So, you gonna help or not?"

Ryoga stored the scroll, hopping to his feet. "Lead the way."

Ranma smiled his thanks and leaped to the roof. Ryoga followed. They made their way across the rooftops. In short order, they were at the appointed place that Ukyo had designated. A crowd was forming and the two would-be party crashers tried to blend in.

Both girls entered the area simultaneously. Akane looked around. A large crowd had arrived to see them fight. She could only hope that she could put up a good enough fight. Her own martial arts were good, but it had been a while since she'd fought against Ukyo.

Ukyo, on the other hand, was looking forward to this moment. She was still ticked at how Akane had treated her Ranchan. Nobody, not even his favorite ex-fiancée, would do that and get away with it.

Akane was the first to speak. "Remember, after this, there's no more challenges. One fight and that's it. Agreed?"

Ukyo let out a puff of breath. "Yeah, sure. Let's get on with it already." Unslinging her battle spatula, she got herself ready.

Akane readied herself. She'd changed into her gi. Expecting the worst was always best.

Ranma was watching for the right time to make his move. "Just stay here for the moment, Ryoga. I'll have this settled in a sec." As soon as the girls were about to leap at each other, he became a blur.

They never saw him coming. Both were poised on the balls of their feet, ready to leap at each other. Only a blur, which they ignored, was seen to surround them. They felt a few pokes on various parts of their body. Their muscles stiffened. To their amazement, they were unable to move.

As soon as his handiwork had taken effect, Ranma had stopped in the middle of the two combatants. The only part of their body that could move were their heads. They swiveled to glare at the grinning Ranma.

"What did you do to us, Ranma," Akane growled a question.

"Stay out of this, Ranma. She deserves to get beaten, especially after what she did to you," was Ukyo's response.

"Nope. I don't want either of you fighting. It's stupid." Taking on a sarcastic tone, he said, "Girls shouldn't fight." Turning, he motioned for Ryoga to come over and he joined them soon after.

"Ryoga, stop Ranma from doing this. Make him release us."

Ryoga had other ideas, however. "Nope. I tend to agree with Ranma this time. The two of you shouldn't be fighting."

The two girls stared at Ranma incredulously. Ryoga was agreeing with Ranma? It was unheard of.

"Hey, Ryoga, why don't you take Akane home? I'll take Ukyo. Akane can give you directions while you carry her, that way the two of you won't get lost." Ranma walked over to Ukyo. Taking her battle spatula out of her tight grip, he placed it in the sheath on her back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryoga place Akane on his back in a piggy-back style. Ranma did the same.

The crowd, by this time, had realized that there wasn't going to be a fight, to their displeasure. The students dispersed, leaving the four alone.

With Ukyo on his back, Ranma turned to Ryoga. "Thanks for the help. I'll be over after I drop Ukyo off and pick you up. 'Kay?"

Ryoga nodded and headed out, with the help of Akane. She was embarrassed by the situation. It was nice of Ranma to help, but it had been her fight. Ryoga had even agreed with him, when he'd usually disagree and start a fight for some obscure reason. Giving Ryoga the directions over his shoulder, the two made it to the dojo. He took her into the living room, placing her on the couch.

Kasumi came in with a soft, "Oh my." Turning back to the kitchen, she went to make some tea.

"Thanks for the ride, Ryoga."

Ryoga blushed, unable to respond.

Akane felt some of her limbs start to function. "You know, I didn't think that Dr. Tofu would teach Ranma all of the shiatsu points. I wish he hadn't interfered, though."

This last remark brought Ryoga out of his stupor. "You're wrong. He cares about the two of you too much to see you get hurt. It's a stupid reason to fight, anyway."

Akane was taken aback by his vehemence. He'd never really disagreed with her, as she recalled. Now he was outright telling her that she was being stupid. She began ruminating on how things were going against her lately. First, she'd treated Ranma badly. Second, Ukyo wanted to make her into an imprint in the ground. Now, Ryoga was giving her a lecture. It was something to think deeply about.

That didn't change the fact that he'd helped Ranma stop the fight. While he was looking away, her mallet appeared in her hands. With a practiced swing, she smashed Ryoga onto the floor. He just groaned, trying to get up. She whacked him again for good measure, making sure that her displeasure was evident. "I'd suggest you don't do anything like that again." With a disdainful sniff, she sat back down on the couch. Ryoga regained his feet, only a little unsteady.

Kasumi came in, just in time, with the tea to break the uneasy mood with her sunny smile. The two youths took the proffered tea.

"Is there anything the matter," she asked.

"Not anymore there isn't," Akane replied after a sip.

"Oh, that's good. Well, it's nice of you to stop by, Ryoga."

"Eeto…Arigato," he said. Finishing off his tea, he decided it was time to go outside to wait for Ranma.

**********

Ranma jumped from one rooftop to another. In the meantime, Ukyo was giving him an earful about how she felt. "Your interference is inexcusable. I don't care what your reasons are. That was a fight between Akane and me."

He let the words slip off of him like oil on water. As far as he was concerned, he'd had all the say in it. What Ukyo wanted didn't matter right now, anyway. There was nothing she could do at the moment to stop him.

They finally arrived at Ucchan's. He flitted into the restaurant and placed Ukyo in one of the booths. Konatsu saw the predicament that Ukyo was in and came over.

"Is there anything wrong, Ranma?"

"Nah. I just had to stop a fight and Ukyo got in the way."

Konatsu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who were you fighting this time, Ranma?"

"It wasn't me who was fighting. I just stopped one. It was between Ukyo and Akane."

"Ah." Konatsu looked over at Ukyo with a withering look. She had the temerity to look embarrassed. It was obvious that Ranma had things under control, so he went back to work.

"Ranma," Ukyo called. "Could you take my bandoleer off for me, please? It's digging into my back and I can't move." Her expression looked a bit pained.

With a smile, Ranma let Ukyo fall forward unceremoniously so he could administer a remedy for her condition. She was able to move after a moment, shifting her position on her previously uncomfortable seat.

"Arigato."

Konatsu brought a couple of sodas for the two of them. While Ukyo was sipping on hers, Ranma spoke up. "I know you don't appreciate me butting in, but I felt that I had to. I don't want it to be like it was where everybody was fighting over something stupid." It looked like Ukyo was going to say something, but Ranma raised his hand to stop her.

"Why you were going to fight Akane isn't good enough for me. We aren't fiancées anymore, so there's no reason to get into fights for any reason. I'm not an object for you all to fight over. I'm a guy, a living person. I can fight for myself, too. I don't need anybody to do it for me." He gave her a piercing look. Feeling that his message had been received, he stood.

"I'd better go get Ryoga before he thinks I abandoned him. Take it easy. See you in the morning."

Ukyo muttered a weak, "Ja mata." Ranma turned away to leave.

He never had a chance as the gargantuan spatula landed on his head. It flattened him like an okonomiyaki. He twitched. "Ranchan, if you ever interfere with one of my challenges, you're really going to regret it. Just don't let it ever happen again." A few swings later, she decided that enough was enough. Scooping him up, Ukyo proceeded to use him for batting practice. Taking aim, she sent him in the direction of the dojo.

Ranma showed up only minutes after Ryoga had exited the dojo. He was leaning against the wall, waiting for his guide to arrive. Ranma pulled himself out of the hole in the ground a few feet from Ryoga. Taking a look at his companion, Ranma saw a couple of bruises sprouting on the Lost Boy's head.

"That didn't turn out too badly, if I do say so myself," he said in mock bravado. "C'mon. Let's go back to Dr. Tofu's and get something to eat. I'm starved." Then both were off.

The remainder of the night was uneventful. Ryoga left in the morning and was lost after turning the first few corners.

Ranma sought out the girl he'd yelled at the next day.

It was during lunch when he caught up with her. She was sitting with some of her friends. They fell quiet one by one as they noticed who was standing not too far away. "Fubuki, right?"

She looked up at him timidly. "H-hai."

"Look, about yesterday. Eeto…I've come to say I'm sorry about yelling at you. There was no call for it. I guess I got a little too mad and took it out on you."

Her relief washed over him like a tidal wave, as she realized she wasn't going to be the brunt of yet another outburst. "Iie. I should apologize. It was insensitive of me to ask you right after you broke up with Akane. You had every right to yell at me like you did."

Ranma couldn't understand it. Here he was, trying to apologize, and she was saying how she was sorry. *Women.* "Well, I feel like I owe you one for my behavior. So, ah, would you like to go get something to eat after school?" He was treading on dangerous ground, he knew, but it couldn't be helped. He needed to satisfy his own sense of honor. He'd wronged her, so there needed to be some way so that he could feel better about himself. A little selfish, sure, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself otherwise.

Fubuki's friends began talking among themselves. He couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but it was bringing a bright blush to young woman's face that he was talking to.

"Mmmm. Sure. I'd like that."

"Great. We'll meet after school. See ya later."

After he left, the girls exploded with suggestions for Fubuki on her date.

The final bell rang and the students rushed home. Ranma was waiting for Fubuki at the gate. She detached herself from the group of giggling friends. He thrust his hand in his pocket, holding his bag on his shoulder with the other.

Fubuki, with the feeling like she was leaping into a fire, clasped a hand at Ranma's elbow, making it look like he was escorting her. She didn't know how he would take it, only praying he wouldn't go ballistic again. She missed him tighten his jaw at this simple gesture.

He knew exactly what she was doing. It wasn't that he was a total social incompetent. Some things he did know. Her illusions would be ended shortly. He'd anticipated this sort of action and had made preparations. He would make sure that there would be no doubt left in her mind after tonight.

He lead her to Ucchan's. The idea had struck him as genius when he'd thought of it. The perfect place for him to enjoy a meal. And, if he felt himself losing control of the evening, he had Ukyo to back him up and pull his proverbial fat out of the fire.

Taking a booth, the couple sat down. Konatsu came over, took their order, and left. He brought their drinks to them. He'd been briefed by Ukyo what was transpiring, so it wasn't a surprise for Ranma to be in the restaurant with a strange girl.

Their food came shortly thereafter.

When they were finished, they began chatting about school, as it was the only thing that they seemed to have in common.

Ranma's hands were clasped in front of him, lying on the table. Fubuki was gesturing expansively as she told him about one of the things a friend of hers had done. She innocently brushed his hand with one of hers. Thinking nothing of it, he let it pass.

She stopped gesturing, but still talking animatedly. Her hand seemed to creep, of its own volition, towards his. A finger started drawing circles on the back of one of his hands.

Ranma began to sweat. She wasn't playing fair. It appeared she wanted to make tonight go further than he had intended.

Making it look like he needed to scratch an itch on his neck, he moved his hands away from hers. Her smile drooped for a fraction of a second. His other hand slid to the edge of the table. Drumming his fingers on the outside edge of the table, he used the prearranged signal that he needed help from Ukyo.

She saw this and pulled Konatsu over to cook. Taking her apron off, she headed over to the booth where her friend was sitting.

"Hey, Ranma, why don't you scoot over so I can sit? It's slowed down, so I can take a break for a minute." Fubuki looked around. It didn't appear that such was the case.

"Sure." He moved over to the inside. Ukyo now sat across from Fubuki.

"Who's your friend, Ranma? I don't recognize her. Not another fiancée, is she?"

"Ukyo, meet Fubuki. Fubuki, meet Ukyo. Fubuki's the girl that I yelled at yesterday. I thought it would be a nice way of an apology if I took her out. Nothing more." Fubuki's heart sank.

"Oh, how nice. Glad you picked my place to do it at. Such a gentleman." She looked around. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to work. Nice meeting you, Fubuki."

*Whew! Maybe now Fubuki won't try anything else.* Ranma finally relaxed. Rehearsing their lines in class had made it easier for this exchange.

Fubuki saw no reason to stay at Ucchan's. Several minutes later, Ranma was escorting her home. As they stopped at the door, she turned to him.

"I was being stupid again, wasn't I," she asked, looking him in the eye.

Ranma blushed at her directness. "Well, I wouldn't say it that way. But I think you get the point that I'm not interested in anybody right now."

"You made it quite obvious. Baka," she berated herself. "Well, thanks for the dinner. It was still nice of you. Even if we don't go out again, I'll be pretty popular with my friends. Thanks. You don't know exactly what you've done for me. Good night."

She took her leave of him, slipping into the house. Ranma touched his chin where she'd kissed him. Shaking his head, he left.

**********

A mountain range somewhere in China.

"Ah, Shampoo, the leaves are almost ready to be harvested. Soon you will have Ranma as your husband," Cologne said in Mandarin.

She was looking at a small herb growing at the shore of a small pond. They'd journeyed here over a month ago, the traveling hard on the old woman. Finding this secluded valley had been difficult, as it was one of the most inaccessible areas. But it was also one of the most fertile in the world, with an abundance of the magical life force flowing through it.

With the spring feeding the herb with the magic, the herb would be imbued with enough power to eradicate the will of the one who imbibed the tea that would be made from the leaves. The herb was strong in its own right, but with the power it was being fed, it would surely work beyond belief.

*This will teach Ranma not to snub the laws of the Amazons.* It irked her how Ranma had scorned the elderly matron on their last meeting. It hadn't been a pretty sight, as she remembered it.

The scene had been a week after the failed wedding attempt. Shampoo had been told that she was not to go near the dojo ever again by Tendo Soun. She had complied, grudgingly. That didn't stop her from trying to see her fiancée. When the boy had gone to school, she'd be waiting to press her suite upon him.

He had begun to have a sixth sense, it seemed, where Shampoo would show up. Just as she was coming down to glomp him, he'd jump out of the way. It had irritated the girl to no end. She'd expressed her feelings when she returned to the restaurant. His attitude seemed to be one of extreme irritation.

The final straw was when Shampoo had taken a special ramen lunch to Ranma while he was at school.

She stopped her bike centimeters from Ranma. Perfectly balanced in one hand were two boxes holding ramen. Akane was standing nearby, slowly getting angry. Or, perhaps, not too slowly. She didn't do anything at the moment, though.

Jumping off of the bike, Shampoo held out one of the boxes to Ranma. "Shampoo brought husband lunch for today. Should try some. Husband like."

Ranma looked at the proffered food. "Just ate, Shampoo." He really didn't want to deal with this today.

His stomach, however, had other ideas and growled its displeasure at the obvious lie.

"Oh. Husband always hungry for ramen, no? Here, try some." She lifted the top, handing him some chopsticks.

"Eeto…Why don't you have some first?" Shampoo smiled and opened the other box, taking some for herself. She chewed, delighted at the taste. "That's not what I meant," he said, his voice firming.

Shampoo began to sweat.

Ranma waited, tapping his foot.

With great trepidation, Shampoo reached into the box she'd proffered to Ranma and took some ramen out. Slowly, she inched it to her mouth.

With a muffled cry, she dropped the ramen back into the box, rather than eat it. "Shampoo no eat. Is for husband. Specially made it for him."

Ranma's suspicions had been confirmed. He started to turn. An idea came to mind.

Turning back, he said, "Be expecting me tonight. Your great grandmother and I have a lot to talk about."

Dread filled Shampoo. The way he'd said it meant that there was going to be trouble, most assuredly. Getting back onto her bike, she wheeled out of the area at top speed to deliver her message. She dumped the ramen into the trash when she arrived at the restaurant, fleeing to her room. Cologne followed after her.

"What is it, Shampoo," she asked as she entered. Shampoo was sitting on her bed, staring out the window. She looked troubled.

"Husband say he come tonight. He say that the two of you will talk. H…He no want to eat Shampoo's ramen." It was obvious that Shampoo was upset about it. "He tell Shampoo to eat ramen before he eat it. But Shampoo no can eat."

She'd cooked it with another of Cologne's concoctions. That's why she'd had a problem even considering eating the ramen. It was supposed to leave Ranma open to suggestion. With this, Shampoo would be able to lure Ranma back to the restaurant so he could marry the young Amazon.

"Is that all?" A jerky nod was her answer. She left the girl alone.

Ranma did show as he'd said. Cologne was waiting for him, having closed early so they wouldn't be disturbed. He walked in, looking around. Only Cologne and Shampoo were present. Mousse was nowhere to be found. He took a seat across from the women at a booth.

He was the first to initiate the conversation, shattering the silence like crystal.

"We have a few things to settle. Shampoo has no claim to me anymore. After what she did at the wedding, there is no way we can go on like this." Cologne just sat there, letting him finish with his speech. "Therefore, I've decided that the only engagement that is valid is the one with Akane." He was beginning to feel the pressure of the silence, as she intended. He faltered.

Looking between the two sitting across from him, he fell silent. The silence seemed to stretch for eternity.

Finally, she decided it was time to speak. "Son-in-law, the laws of the Amazons supersede any and all other laws. The engagement to the Tendo girl was nullified as soon as you defeated Shampoo. There is no way you can get out of it. None."

He scowled at this pronouncement. "The Amazon laws are as dried up as you, you old ghoul," he retorted. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to go back to China as Shampoo's husband."

"Oh, you will go, Son-in-law. You will go. There is no way in getting around it. When you became engaged to Shampoo, there was no turning back for you. Any man that is not from the Amazon tribe and defeats an Amazon, is instantly subject to each and every law of the tribe. I've given you a lot of leeway. It seems that I may have been mistaken to allow this farce to continue to this point."

"As I said, I'm not going to China with you."

"Yes, Son-in-law, you will."

"Over my dead body."

"We can arrange that."

This stopped him cold in his tracks.

It was unknown exactly what the Amazons were capable of. Their laws dated back centuries. Only in the past hundred years had capital punishment slowly become more lenient in the outside world. But still, he had to try.

"Well, that'll be the only way you'll get me to China. And even that will be hard for you to do. I don't care about the Amazon laws. We're in Japan and the laws here are what matter. My engagement to the Tendo family was made before I was born, so my honor demands that I fulfill that obligation. All other claims are null and void. After the stunt a week ago, there's no way anybody will have me."

He started to walk out.

"We have yet to see about that, Ranma. Give me time and I'll bring you around." Her voice chilled him to the bone. She saw him try to suppress a shudder.

He was gone.

"Great grandmother, what we do now?"

She thought about the question. It was a valid one. Her eyes wandered about. Spying the trash can, the glimmer of an idea began. "There is something that may bring Ranma around to our way of thinking. It will be hard to accomplish. But, with a little effort, everything should go as planned."

Two weeks later, the Nekohanten had been sold.

It had taken them some time to convince the tribal elders to agree to the plan. They saw that this was yet another delay in the acquisition of Ranma. Cologne explained to them, using her immeasurable influence and the support of her political allies, to allow her to use one of the special seeds that was the treasure of the tribe. Obtaining the seed was easy.

How she wanted to grow it was the hard part.

In order for her to have the seed grow within a short time, she needed to plant it in a special place. That was to be one of the few valleys that harbored the unadulterated soil and water of the earth. The only reason these were so powerful was because of the societies that protected them from outside influences. The past several centuries had marked the loss of some of the best areas. Not one human foot was allowed to enter without a great need.

What Cologne proposed was for her and Shampoo to journey to one and live there for a time so she could grow one of the seeds. Their presence would likely disturb the balance of the ecosystem that had been preserved for millennium.

It took three weeks to get them finally agree with her. They'd insisted that she take certain charms so that she wouldn't have a resounding negative effect. Also, as a requirement, they were to live on the outskirts, trekking into the area to tend to the plant and then exiting the same way, as to alleviate the disturbance.

Now, after a month and a half, it was nearly ready.

Shampoo came up beside the aged woman. Silently, she knelt down and added more compost to the soil surrounding the sprout. It stood almost a foot tall. The upper leaves were still a bright green, whereas the lower ones were almost ready to be harvested.

Cologne had to restrain herself forcefully to keep from taking what was ready and heading back to Japan. No, she could use all she could get. Plus, the seed that would be given by the single bud would have to be returned to the tribe.

Each plant produced only one seed, so it was necessary to wait for it. But that would happen soon, as the special magic of the valley would speed its germination.

*Soon. Yes, very soon.* Her cackle could be heard for miles around. And she didn't care.

**********

The next two weeks were hectic for the students. As the school year ended, so did the day that the finals came closer. Many were sure that large patches of hair were missing from their heads as they seemed to pull it out in their frustration. The stress mounted.

Ranma seemed to be one of the few that were calm. Not letting the pressure get to him, he studied at Dr. Tofu's and with Ukyo. With Dr. Tofu's help, his science and math classes were understood. Ukyo seemed to help with a couple of others. To her surprise, he seemed to help with her English and history. She commented on this one night.

"When did you get better grammar? You never speak proper Japanese. And your English always stank. No offense intended, but it is true." This seemingly sudden change baffled her.

"Well, it's like this. A short time after the failed wedding," Ukyo looked down self-consciously, "I found a way for me to study better. People think I'm stupid since I don't talk right. Nobody ever noticed I started speaking correctly about a month ago. It's no surprise. Oyaji never thought a school education was necessary. The Art was the only thing he cared about. As well as his stomach."

Ukyo sat back. It was obvious he was going to take a while to explain this.

"After I started getting better with my Japanese, the English seemed to open up for me, too. That's when I decided to start going to the public library to study. I made sure nobody knew about it. I'd show up at your place for some okonomiyaki so nobody would get suspicious and then head to the library. I also visited some of my other haunts. My other subjects seemed easier, too, so I started working on them.

"Realizing that there's more to running a dojo than teaching, by Nabiki's example, I decided that it'd be nice to get a better education. Going to the library paid off. When I took the exam, I passed it better than I'd expected. Seems to me that nobody expected me to have a brain. All they saw was the brawn, as I was constantly fighting until a few months ago. I love the Art, but I feel humiliated when people think I'm stupid. How am I going to talk to one of my student's parents like I'm some numskull?

"So I decided to make a change. When I can manage the finances for a dojo I'll be able to keep myself afloat. Besides, nowadays, people want to take classes from someone who has a degree. If I get a Physical Education degree, I may be able to pull in more students." He smiled. That explanation satisfied him.

"Wow. You really thought about this, didn't you?" She was one of the guilty ones who'd thought his mental faculties were not up to par with his martial arts skills.

"Yeah. I kept it secret so I wouldn't embarrass myself when I goofed up, which I did a few times. I can even give Kuno a run for his money when it comes to Shakespeare. He's a weird guy, but his plays are cool. I especially liked Taming of the Shrew. I probably should have read that one a long time ago. It'd probably have helped with Akane. But it's too late now." His voice dropped into a dark chasm.

Trying to bring him back, she said, "You really went through that gaijin's plays? After your run-in with Romeo and Juliet, I'd have thought you'd keep away from that kind of stuff."

"Mmmm. I wanted to know what people saw in what he'd written. It was hard to understand the first few. But, after a while, I began to pick up on what he was saying. You should check some out. Some of the other gaijin authors are pretty good, too. I read more in the past few months than I've ever read in my life. Kinda fun, actually. It's nice to sit back with a book and let the images form in your head as you're reading, living them yourself."

This blew Ukyo's mind away. Ranma seemed to have matured recently. First, he studies and gets better at his school work. Then he is able to make it so he doesn't get another suitor. The plan he'd made for that Fubuki girl was brilliant.

The revelation made her look at Ranma in a different light. Here was a young man who had come to realize that life didn't revolve just around the Art. There were other pursuits in the world. Sure, he'd probably be one of the best martial artists in the world, but he would be one of the best educated, too. She envied him his drive for bettering himself.

"But that doesn't really explain how you learned so fast."

"Let me start on how I'd learned my technique first." He preened at the attention and the chance to show his stuff. "Akane and I'd just gotten into one of our fights. Well, one thing led to another and I got malleted. I wasn't in a good mood at the time, so I decided to do a kata I was learning to cool my blood. When I calmed down, I remembered I had a test coming up in a couple of days. I really needed to get a good grade on this one, so that meant I needed to study a little more.

"Now, when I learn a new kata, I open my mind and let myself go, absorbing my surroundings and recording the experiences as I learn it. I was still in this state of mind when I started to study. By the end of my studying, I realized I'd picked up more than I'd ever had before. The next day came and I tried using it during class. And it worked. That's when I started to explore the possibilities. Seems to have worked out so far." His smile was a little more smug this time.

"Another question. When did you start learning how to deal with girls? Before, you'd have bungled what you did with Fubuki and have had another fiancée or another enemy."

"Oh. That. I didn't learn anything. I just read of a similar situation. I needed to apologize to her. But, at the same time, I didn't need another problem on my hands. That's when I thought of using your place to keep her under control. She was getting out of control, so I called you over. When she had another female there, she started to behave herself. It was easy. I learned from the time I went after Shampoo when she had that pin that I was only causing more problems for myself.

"If I'd left Shampoo alone, she'd probably have gone back to China. But stupid ol' me just couldn't let someone say they didn't like me, especially after they'd been telling me a few moments before of their undying love. Boy, I was stupid." Ukyo could only agree.

He looked up at the clock. "I guess it's time for me to go. Gotta get up early so I can practice with Dr. Tofu. He wanted to show me some more stuff and I agreed, so I need to get my rest." Putting his books in his bag, he headed for the door. "Thanks, Uk-chan. You've always been a good friend. You've lent me your ears more times than I can remember. I envy the guy who gets you." Saying this, he left.

Quietly to herself in a bitter voice, she said, "Yeah. If I ever catch someone. Coulda had you, but you said I was your best friend and couldn't feel romantic towards me. 'Sure, you're cute, Uk-chan, but every once in a while I catch myself thinking of you as a guy.' Still doesn't stop hurting, Ranma." It rankled, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Her thoughts roamed back to the day he'd said those words.

It had been a clear night. The stars were unusually bright, even with the glare from Tokyo. A shooting star made a track across the peaceful night.

Ukyo was watching the Tendo dojo intently. Her patience paid off as she saw Ranma leap to the roof. Stealthily, she dropped to the ground and entered the compound. Making sure that nobody had seen her, she leapt to the roof.

Ranma stiffened, forcibly relaxing himself when he realized who was standing behind him. The silence lengthened. She stepped forward hesitantly.

"It's been three days, Ranma. Why haven't you called or anything?" Her voice held a hint of a quaver.

He stood, slowly turning. The moon stood behind him, casting his face in shadow. His head was bowed. The place where his eyes would be looked like the hollow sockets of a skull.

The voice he uttered his words with sounded like the small keening wail of the lost souls that wandered the ethereal plane. "Why, Ukyo?" She fell back a step. He always called her Uk-chan. "You didn't have to ruin it. So why?"

She was at a loss. The solid reasons she had come bursting into the dojo to wreck the wedding seemed to flee her.

"If I'd have wanted you to stop the wedding, I'd have asked you, you know. But I didn't."

Her heart was being torn out of her chest. Hurting her Ranchan had been the last thing she'd intended. Yet it seemed to be what she'd done. She stood rooted where she stood as his next words rocked her world.

"It's all over, Ukyo. All the engagements. No more fiancées. I'm fed up with everything. The only one I'm going to honor will be to the Tendos. It's the oldest and the only one that was made honorably. Sorry 'bout this, but it's gotta be done. I didn't ask for any of the fiancées I've got now, but I have to decide now. Either that or commit seppuku," he said bitterly.

"No," she cried in anguish. Having Ranma kill himself would solve nothing. She would rather lose him to someone else than lose him to the dark underworld where she couldn't see him ever again.

It appeared, though, that he wasn't ready to face such an act, either.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna kill myself. It would solve a few problems, but it would only make more in the long run for everybody else. And I'm tired of hurting people. Just so tired." He sank to his knees. "I made a lot of mistakes in the past two years. The one I made with you is one of the ones I feel most ashamed about. Sure, you're cute, Uk-chan, but every once in a while I catch myself thinking of you as a guy. That's why I think of you as my best friend. I just can't bring myself to feel anything…romantic towards you. I really screwed up by leading you on. Sorry."

Anguish turned to a simmering anger. "What about my honor? You and your father stole my father's yatai. You took my wedding dowry and left me behind. What am I supposed to do? Who'd wanna marry me? I spent years acting like a boy so I could get my revenge on you and your father. How am I going to get the honor back that my family has lost?"

He looked up at her. She'd taken a step forward. "Lotsa people would like to be with you. There's Konatsu, for one. He'd give his left arm if he thought it would help."

She made a sound of disgust in her throat.

"Well, if not him, there's always other guys who would. Look, you're only seventeen. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it on me anymore. The Kami knows you wasted enough on me so far." Standing back up, he took her hands in his. "I'm sorry about your family's honor. It wasn't my doing. If you have anybody to blame, it's Oyaji. We were both six at the time, so we didn't know what we really wanted at the time. I was given a choice I didn't even know about. There's not much I can do for you now but say I'm sorry."

She was defeated. It had been a long time in realizing it, but she was finally being released. Resigned, she said, "I know. Thanks for being honest with me, Ranma. But I gotta know. If you hadn't been engaged to Akane, would I have had a chance?"

His teeth gleamed brightly in the night as he smiled. "More'n likely."

"Ah, well. Such is life, I guess. Better be goin' now." She didn't want to start crying in front of him. She knew how weak he was when it came to girls crying. Giving him a quick hug, she vaulted away. Tears trailed behind her as she rushed home.

She'd known how he felt about her, but it hadn't helped with the blow. There'd always been a glimmer of hope while she'd been 'engaged' to him. Now, though, all of her dreams and hopes were shattered.

Standing in front of her shop, she dried her tears. Squaring her shoulders, she entered. Nobody would say that Kounji Ukyo was weak. She would face the world and throw their own words back into their teeth if they so much as said a deprecating word. It would take a while to get the honor back for her family, but she would. Even if she had to skin that creep, Saotome Genma.

Ukyo's finally came back to the present. *Too many have taken Ranma for granted. He's such a nice guy that they tend to forget that they're stepping all over him.* His happiness was all that mattered. Now that he was free, he could choose his own path in the world. It was for the best. And she would be there for him if he needed her. She was sure that he would…and she would be ready.

Putting her books away, she went to bed.

**********

The day of the of the test came. Ranma and Akane sat in their seats, both feeling confident about what was to happen. Ranma because he had studied better than he ever had before. Akane because she was used to doing so well in school. This was the last for high school. It would be a bookmark in their lives, something they could look back on and laugh about when reminiscing.

The sensei passed the tests out. He looked at Ranma with some trepidation. Granted, he'd improved in the class, but this was one of the hardest tests of the year. Could he hold up? They'd see by the end of the day.

The clock started.

Turning his paper over, Ranma started on the questions in front of him. The first portion was easy. As he continued further, his momentum slowed as they became progressively harder. The college entrance exam had been harder, but this was something he wanted to excel at. That meant that he needed to take his time.

Time passed and he neared the end of the test. Looking at the clock, he smiled. Plenty of time.

The time ran out and the papers were collected. They were given a break in between tests. The other students began chattering among themselves. Ranma became engrossed in watching the birds flying about outside.

Akane watched him covertly. Now seemed the best time for her to make her move. She'd been pondering how to confront him for the past couple of days. Standing up, she walked over to his desk.

"Ranma," she started. He turned to her, expressionless.

"Hmmm?"

She looked around. A few of their fellow students were watching intently. "Um, could I have a moment with you? I…I have something to tell you."

His eyebrows started to draw together to form a scowl.

"Please? Just a minute of your time. I promise I won't hit you or anything."

He relented and followed her out into the hall.

She couldn't look him in the eye. Instead, she was looking at the toes of her shoes. "I've been trying to, um, apologize since…since that night. What I did wasn't called for. I spoke to your mother the next day and I promised I'd say I was sorry. There was no reason for me to act the way I did."

Ranma shifted, causing her to look up. Still not saying anything, he stood there, waiting for her to continue.

"If you hate me, I'll understand. E-especially after what I did to you at the dojo. I don't know what came over me, but I shouldn't have done it." Her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't continue. She began looking at her feet again.

She heard Ranma shifting. His rough hand came into view, cupping her chin. It gently pulled her gaze back up so she was looking in his eyes.

"Forgiven," he said. "We've been fighting for too long now. We can probably find what we want now that we're not engaged." He'd wanted to hear those words from her for so long now. And he'd wanted to utter his forgiveness to her. It was just that he couldn't approach her until she was ready. A weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Hers as well, he saw. "Maybe we'll see each other while we're at college. But I think it's about time we got back to class for the next test."

Thus, he went back inside, followed closely by Akane. He doubted he'd see her while they attended college, though. It would probably be for the best.

The remainder of the day passed with only minor stress for the two. With lightened hearts, they did well on the tests. When Ranma was taking the English test, which was the last, he pulled all the knowledge he'd acquired out of his sleeve and used it for the essay he was required to write.

Finishing with a flourish, he handed the test to Hinako-sensei. He was the first in the class to be done and walked out with a smile plastered to his face.

Hinako-sensei, thinking this would be an easy test to grade, found a three-page essay staring back at her. It explained in detail why Ranma loved to practice the Art. And everything seemed to be in proper English. There were several mistakes, granted, but it was better than he'd done in the past. She set about in earnest to find something wrong with the rest of it, which was hard to do.

The students milled about for the last hour of the school day, waiting for the grades to be posted. Ranma and Ukyo and a few of their friends lounged under a tree.

"Ranma-kun," a sweet voice called. Looking up from his conversation with Ukyo, he saw a bundle of energy shooting his way. Hinako-sensei stopped in front of him, waving his test paper under his nose. "Are you being a delinquent and cheating on the test, or is this actually your work?"

Ranma blinked. A slow smile crept onto his face. "Cheat? Nah. Everything there's what I wrote. Not a thing in there I didn't do myself."

She huffed a sigh. "Well, let me congratulate you. You got yourself a B on the test. Much better than what you've done before. If you keep up this kind of improvement, you may start getting A's." Putting the paper away and pulling out another, she went in search of another victim to harass.

Ranma sat back down. He'd been hoping to get that A, but a B was good. Immensely pleased with himself, he received the compliments from his peers in good fashion. The grades were finally posted on the board and they gathered to find their scores. Some students shuffled away as they saw how poorly they did. Others started jumping about, immensely pleased with themselves.

That night there were many parties in celebration as the last test of the school year was behind them. Summer was only a step away.

**********

It was a Saturday and the last day of school was behind him. It was getting close to the time he'd be leaving.

With mixed feelings, he walked up to Dr. Tofu.

"I think it's about time I get moving on. I want to spend time with my mother before I take off on my training trip, so I'll be staying there for a week or so. If there's any way I can repay you for your kindness, please name it."

"It's been a pleasure having you here, Ranma-kun. There's nothing to repay. You helped me enough while you were here. It's been a while since I had a decent sparring partner, so the pleasure is all mine. Just take care while you travel." They clasped hands. Taking his leave, Ranma left with his backpack and headed to his mother's.

She was waiting for him. As soon as he stepped onto the Saotome property, he found his mother…well, mothering over him. She showed him to his room and went back downstairs.

He looked at the bed as he set his backpack in the closet. It would probably be comfortable. Too comfortable. It'd been a while since he'd slept in it.

Going back downstairs, he found his mother cooking a meal for him. He stepped in to help.

Nodoka would have shooed him out, but felt that it would be nice to have her son beside her for a time. They went to work with the meal, enjoying each other's company. They drank in the domestic air like fine wine. It'd been some time since they'd been able to share time together. Both mother and son sat at the table with their meal, talking about life in general.

She was proud of her son's accomplishments. She was also glad she hadn't made him commit seppuku when she'd found out about his curse. It would have been such a waste. He was one of the finest young men in the world. His sense of honor was fine-tuned, even with the negative influence of her husband.

As she talked with him, she began cataloging everything she could about her son. Not letting anything by, she studied every little nuance.

He seemed to fidget a little more as they touched the more tender subjects. Whenever he became thoughtful, he'd start fiddling with his pigtail. Other things seemed to come to her as she watched him.

These things would help her get through the days when he was gone to college and on his training trips. The Kami only knew when he'd stay here again.

**********

A week after the school year ended.

Nabiki was sitting on the train. Pulling out the letter, she read it again. Kasumi had sent it some time ago. It gave her a general idea about what had happened at home while she was at college. A few phone calls still hadn't cleared the fog, though. That's why she needed to find her contacts and squeeze some information out of them until they were dry.

Her mind wandered back to where she was returning from. College. It had been interesting how she'd gotten in.

After taking the business exam, she'd been approached by some of the corporations in Tokyo. They'd done some background research on her. What they'd dug up had impressed them even more. Then there was the fact that the information had leaked to other companies.

That had led to one of the largest companies in Tokyo to come in search of her. Seizing the opportunity, she'd started dealing with them mercilessly. Playing one off of the other, she began setting down her demands as they vied for control.

In the end though, it had been one of the smallest that had won. Not because of what they'd offered directly. But because they were only about a decade old and weren't so set in their ways to be inflexible. When she came to work for them full-time, she'd work her way up the corporate ladder rapidly, she knew. With a larger company there would be more competition and that would mean less promotions.

The company also was paying for her education. And that meant that she had more money for herself. Whatever she made on the side meant that what she got could be a luxury. It wasn't that she was a spend-thrift, but an occasional indulgence was nice.

Any money left over, of course, went to the dojo. It had to be maintained somehow. With her father not teaching and the freeloaders, it was difficult to pay for all of the repairs. But those would be stopping soon, it appeared. Without Ranma there, it was likely that more than half of the damage would not be dealt. But Ranma had felt like family only after a few weeks living there. And that's why Nabiki wanted to find out what had caused the massive rift between her sister and Ranma.

As she mulled over the possibilities, her stop finally came. Grabbing her bags, she stepped off with the rest of the passengers.

It felt like a small locomotive had hit her as soon as she was no more than ten steps off of the train. Akane was squeezing the life out of her, and it looked like she wasn't going to let go.

"C-can I breath sometime this year, Akane," she managed. Guiltily, Akane released her hold.

"It's so good to see you after all this time, Sis."

Kasumi and her father came up. Exchanging hugs with each, she was rained on by her over-emotional father as he cried about having all of his daughters with him again. Feeling a little embarrassed by the show their father was displaying, the Tendo daughters made their way to the taxi that was waiting for them, dragging their father along behind them.

On the way back home, they started to catch up on each other's lives while they were parted. Nothing about Ranma popped up, however.

**********

Nabiki's first priority after settling down at home was to find her contacts. A few phone calls ensured that she could have a majority of them assembled within an hour. In the meantime, she asked Kasumi about the current relationship between her sister and Ranma. Kasumi couldn't shed any more light on the subject, however. Realizing that she couldn't get any information out of Kasumi, it was time for her to go to her meeting.

Five people sat at the large table when she arrived. They varied in appearance and capabilities. All were students at Furinkan, though. She had left the operations in the capable hands of Shinji-san. He seemed to have held up to her expectations.

As he finished his report, she looked over her little group again. What information had been given was useful, to be sure, but it didn't outline exactly why the two erstwhile lovebirds would have had a tiff like they had.

She released them. All but one left.

Noriko looked directly into Nabiki's eyes. It spoke a lot about someone who could look at her without any emotion showing. The wisp of a girl moved closer so she couldn't be overheard as she reported her portion. She was the best at the information gathering. Her features were so plain that people tended to have a hard time describing her, even after haven spoken with her for any length of time. Added to that was the fact that she hardly spoke, unless she had a need. No mindless chatter from this girl. That's what Nabiki liked about her.

It was also an arrangement for her to spy specially upon Ranma and Akane, as she was one of their classmates.

"I don't know how much this will mean to you, but…" She left the question in the air.

Nabiki pulled out a wad of bills. Drawing one out, she held it just out of reach. Her eyebrow motioned for Noriko to continue.

Assured of her payment, she went on. "The two have avoided each other as much as possible just after the prom night, as you know. The incidents with Ukyo and Akane were the only times Ranma became active. When they were about to fight, he did something to the both of them. It didn't appear to have harmed them, but it did make the two of them mad.

"Another occasion was when Akane asked Ranma out into the hall during the exams. I managed to get by the door without anybody noticing. It appears that Akane asked Ranma for, ah, forgiveness. Ranma appears to have forgiven her for whatever she did. That's what I could catch, anyway. I still haven't found out exactly what caused them to break up. But, as I understand it, it was Akane who was at fault this time. Ranma was the victim, it appears."

Nabiki also took great stock in her opinion. It wasn't very often she gave it, and that was only when she was sure when she would be correct in her assumptions. Another bill was added to the one. Handing it over to Noriko, she thanked her and left.

**********

With this new information, Nabiki decided it was time to confront Ranma about what had happened. All of her information would not help her find a solution if she couldn't get if from the source. To go in blind wouldn't have been prudent, however.

Knocking on the door, she was soon greeted by Mrs. Saotome.

"Oh, Nabiki-chan. It's so nice to see you again. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

Nabiki let a small smile crease her face. "Everything's fine, thanks. Ahem, is Ranma around? I heard he moved back in here from Dr. Tofu's. If he's not too busy, I'd like to have a word with him."

Nabiki's cool demeanor wasn't lost on Nodoka. She knew how much of a predator this young woman was. But to deny her access to Ranma might cause more problems than it solved. "Yes, he's here. It just happens to be that he's practicing in our dojo at the moment. He's been doing if for a while now, so it wouldn't hurt for him to take a break. If you'll follow me, please."

Doing so, they made their way to the back where the Saotome's dojo was.

Ranma was literally bouncing off of the walls as he practiced. Suddenly, he was flying in Nabiki's direction. With a little 'eep', she took a step back.

He stood in front of her, only a faint sheen on perspiration marring his brow. It was about time for her to show up. He'd been wondering if something had happened to her. "Hey, Nabiki! It's nice to see ya. What can you do me out of?" She raised her eyebrow at this. Looking at his mother, who was hovering behind Nabiki, he said, "Thanks, mom. I'm sure Nabiki wants to talk to me in private for a while." Reluctantly, she left.

"Thanks, Ranma. I did want to talk to you privately." Getting to the point, she said, "Why, exactly, have you decided to move out of our place?"

Putting a hand behind head and turning away slightly, he said, "Oh, I'm sure you know why." He allowed a smirk to form on one corner of his mouth. The side she couldn't see.

"I know a bit." She didn't want to let him know exactly how much yet. "My sister's still pretty upset about it all. How much would it be worth to you for me to help patch things up between you two?"

Ranma stiffened. He'd been expecting her to start asking about money. But for her to help get them back together? "I think I'll pass this time. Besides, I probably couldn't afford it this time."

"Maybe. We can probably work out a mutual agreement. Payments. You know, that sort of thing."

*Why is she so interested in getting us back together?* Aloud, "Tempting, but I don't think it'll work out this time. You see, your sister is the one who broke off the engagement. As far as I know, your father hasn't contested it yet. Don't know why, but it's that way."

"Daddy never was one to stick up against Akane too much. He's probably waiting for a time that he can get a good argument in. Probably make her feel guilty or something. Or get you within reach of his demon head so he can persuade you to come back and get married to her."

Ranma was getting bored with this conversation. It was time to liven things up a little.

Nabiki could have sworn she hadn't blinked. Ranma was suddenly standing no more than an arm's length away. She reached to rub her nose. It had just been…tweaked.

This unsettled her a little. He'd never done something like that to her before. He also appeared to be grinning mischievously.

"It's been kinda dull without you around, you know? The constant blackmailing, selling pictures of me, even selling me some hot water. You get to miss those sorta things."

Nabiki felt her control of the situation start to slip.

"Sometimes, though, you feel good about a screw-up because you know you're not going to owe somebody. Never really liked it when my pictures were taken. Especially when I was female and only partially clothed. It got expensive buying those back after a while." He started advancing on her. She started to move back away from him.

His face had lost its expression and now looked to be carved out of stone.

"It's not like I didn't enjoy living in the dojo with you all. It was wonderful for a while. But getting malleted, blackmailed, shoved around, and getting blamed for everything is not too much fun. Starts to wear thin after a while, you know? I don't think I'm willing to go back to something like that again. So you can keep you offer."

Nabiki couldn't see where she was going. Ranma did, but didn't comment on it. He wanted it to add to the effect. That's why she was surprised to fall onto her posterior just outside of the dojo. The grass cushioned the impact, but the shock was still there.

Ranma knelt down, looming over her. He lost the edge to his voice and the cold expression. "Look, Nabiki, I don't want to be mean. It's just that the two of us weren't too happy with the arrangement. Ever since we met, Akane and I have been fighting. Now that we're not engaged, maybe we can get on with our lives. I just hope she finds someone who makes her happy." A sad look crossed his features. "The Kami knows I couldn't."

She stared at the vacancy before her. Ranma was gone, but she was still shaken. He'd changed quite a bit since she'd seen him last. It'd been the first time that he'd bested her at her own game. Somewhere in there he'd turned the tables in his favor. Where, she didn't know.

Deciding it was time to leave, she stood and brushed herself off. At least she knew that he didn't hold a grudge against the Tendo family. He had forgiven Akane, as Noriko had said. More information needed to be gathered. Then it would be time for her to try again.

*I won't give up until I've won,* she swore to herself. *Nobody bests Tendo Nabiki and gets away with it for long. Besides, those two are meant to be together. Everybody knows that.*

**********

Nodoka and Ranma spent most of the time together the two weeks he stayed at home. This was the place, he decided, that he would come to when he wasn't at school or training. It was where his life had started and would be where he would go when he needed a safe haven.

Finally, a real home.

Ranma felt relief when this revelation came to him. He'd found the place where his roots were. He wasn't a vagabond anymore. There was someplace that he could go back to if he ever needed it. The Tendo dojo had felt like home, but hadn't in a way, actually. He and Oyaji had always been freeloading from them, even though he was engaged to Akane at the time. Oyaji was still there, but that was Soun's problem. *Until mom decides he can come back here, at least.*

The time with his mother ended for him. Having decided some time ago, he was going on a training trip on his own. There were a few places that Oyaji had avoided. It'd been apparent that he wouldn't have been welcome because of previous visits. Probably with Happosai and Soun when they were in training. He hadn't shown up the entire time Ranma was living with his mother, which suited him just fine.

Ukyo had wanted to come, but he'd had to explain to her that he wanted to do this on his own. It'd prove to himself that he could get along in the world without somebody hovering about him constantly. She'd accepted the explanation, though a little disappointed. But she was going back home to confront her own father about her engagement. She hadn't told him about the break-up yet, so now was the time. Ranma had encouraged her, wishing her luck. That had been a week ago.

Everything was packed. Food, clothes, emergency equipment…Nothing was missing. Hefting his pack, he went downstairs.

Nodoka held out a bundle. "I made this for you. Have fun on your trip, son."

Taking the package of food, he hugged his mother. The physical contact had come to be natural as he'd lived here with her. It felt good. Opening his pack again, he placed the food on top. "Thanks for everything. I promise to stop by before I go to school."

Giving her another hug, he stepped outside. The early sun was just starting to peer over the horizon. Shifting the backpack on his shoulders, Ranma set out on his journey. 


	3. Chapter 3

The characters from the Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi are used without license. This story is not for commercial use. It's just for the enjoyment of those who like to read the alternatives for the Ranma ½ universe. Also, the lyrics to the songs I've selected are by the respective artists. No copyright infringements intended.

Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts  
>~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese<br>*~* signifies Mandarin thoughts

DOES THAT BLUE MOON EVER SHINE ON YOU

Day by day, we let love just walk away  
>And I'll be the first to say, I was glad to see you go<br>and day by day, ever since you went away  
>I find that I'm still missin' you, and I've just got to know<br>Does that blue moon ever shine on you  
>I want to hold you close to me, feel just like it used to be<br>And baby, if you feel like I do  
>You can come to me<br>Does that blue moon ever shine on you  
>On my mind you were right there all the time<br>I could search and never find someone that does me like you do  
>Here's a part where I'm givin' you my heart<br>I was a fool to let you go, girl, I just got to know  
>Does that blue moon ever shine on you<br>I want to hold you close to me, feel just like it used to be  
>And baby, if you feel like I do<br>You can come to me  
>Does that blue moon ever shine on you<br>Night after night, I look to the stars  
>Wonderin' where you might be<br>And I've thought to myself, is that very same moon  
>Shinin' on you, like it's shinin' on me<br>Does that blue moon ever shine on you  
>I want to hold you close to me, feel just like it used to be<br>And baby, if you feel like I do  
>You can come to me<br>Does that blue moon ever shine on you  
>- Toby Keith -<p>

LIVING LIFE ANEW

CHAPTER III

SELECTING THE PATH

Ryoga sat before the fire he'd built only a moment before. There was a huge difference to this one than to any of the others he'd made lately. It was in his own home. His parents had been standing outside while he'd been walking by and they'd called out his name as soon as they'd seen him. Looking up to find his family and his home, his joy had known no bounds.

Checkers lay near his feet, scratching behind her ear. She looked up at him and seemed to smile. He smiled, too, curling his fingers in her soft fur.

A noise from behind caused him to turn. Standing before him was his mother, dressed in a sturdy tunic and pants. Upon her back was the ever-present Hibiki backpack. Unlimbering it, she sat down beside her son. All the doors leading outside were locked, so there was no getting lost for the night. A couple of days would change that, they all knew, but now was the time for family.

She draped a hand over his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. Glad for the contact, he drew himself further into her embrace. Moments passed as they clung to each other. Reluctantly, they pulled away and studied each other's eyes. His mother smiled at him, her beautiful face bringing a light to his shadowed heart. He pulled the kettle off of the fire and made tea for them.

"It's so nice to see you again after all of this time, Ryoga-kun. Your father and I have missed you so much since the last time we met. Several months ago, if I recall." They gave a rueful laugh at the inside joke for the family. They met infrequently and in the strangest of places. The last time had been near Okinawa. Each time was a memorable experience, since it wasn't often that all three could get together. "We found something that you may like for your birthday."

She pulled out a package from her backpack and handed it to her son. The package was a little worn, but still intact. With a fangy smile for his mother, he ripped his present open. Inside were a set of armbands. They were styled with an eagle in flight as the motif. Slipping them onto his biceps, he found that they formed comfortably with the muscle and didn't seem to slip as he flexed and released.

While he was admiring his present, his father came in and sat down with them.

"Thanks, mom. It's nice. Um, I got you guys something, too. Rummaging around in his own backpack, he produced a matching set of walking sticks. Putting them together, he handed the set to his parents.

With a girlish squeal of delight, his mother took her present and began twirling it around, narrowly missing her husband as he walked around in an exaggerated manner of dignity. All three tumbled to the floor in laughter at the antics. Wiping tears from his eyes, Ryoga's father sat up, bringing himself under control.

"Ryoga, my boy, your mother and I discussed this and have decided it's time for you to know a little more about the Hibiki heritage." Ryoga became more attentive and his mother sobered. Any time he'd been told about the family history had been enlightening, to say the least. Seeing his son's attentiveness, he continued. "Now that you're eighteen, you may be considering getting married sometime in the near future. If not, you still need to know this about our family.

"Approximately two hundred years ago, our ancestors were enlisted to help a fellow that had some sort of mystical powers. For some reason, one of our ancestors angered him and he cast a curse upon our family. The nature of the curse was for us to wander the earth continuously. That's why all of us are constantly lost. It's a sad life to live at times, but it's also a joy to be outdoors so much.

"There are only a few reasons for us to find a place on a constant basis. The first is the one of where we consider our residence. That's why the three of us can find this house so often."

His mother picked up the story. "Second is our true loves. That one special person in our lives who returns our feelings will draw us to them constantly. It's one of the reasons why your father and I are together. We are never separated more than a few days, even though we get lost on our own." She looked to her husband for him to take up the torch.

"Third is the friendships we found. Only a selected few are truly considered such. Your mother and I have found a few in our travels and get to see them every once in a while. These are a blessing, as our lives would probably fall into hopeless despair if we didn't have them to fall back on and comfort us. Our lives can overwhelm us and start to drag us down. Fortunately, for the two of us, we have each other. We realize that you seem to have gone to Nerima on a constant basis. We figured that you have some friends there that are willing to help you."

"Do you have anybody special in Nerima, Ryoga-kun," his mother asked.

He thought about the question for a moment. Akane had fallen for Ranma, despite his best efforts, even if they had had a snit lately. So that meant that she didn't care for him as his parents were describing. "No. Nobody special in that way in Nerima." He decided to withhold the information about Akari for now. He was still unsure about his true feelings about her. He hated pigs, but that was dampened by the fact that she accepted him. Curse and all that came with Hibiki Ryoga. Idly, he ran his fingers through his pet's fur. She luxuriated at the feel his fingers elicited in her and thumped her tail on the floor rhythmically.

"Then you have some pretty good friends there, ne? What about that Ranma boy you've spoken about? He seems to have been a pretty good influence for you."

Ryoga's initial response was to jump up and deny everything. What restrained him, however, was his parent's expectant looks. Their question seemed important to them. Maybe to himself, as well. They didn't bother him while he contemplated this.

Taking a deep breath, he began ticking off the bad points about Ranma to himself, *He's an insensitive jerk with less honor than a rabid dog, who would torment anybody and everybody for his own sick pleasure.*

His next thought was about the fight they'd had some time ago. It'd been a normal day in Nerima when he'd challenged Ranma. His foe, however, had remained silent the entire fight. While Ryoga was catching his breath, Ranma spoke, "You think that fighting me is gonna solve your problems?"

"Sure. Once I prove myself better than you. You've put me through hell for far too long, Ranma. PREPARE TO DIE!" Saying this, he leapt at Ranma again.

The only problem was, Ranma wasn't there.

Turning, he looked left to find Ranma standing on a fence, beckoning him to follow. Taking the initiative, he did so. He followed Ranma for the next few minutes to an abandoned lot where Ranma held up his hand to be heard.

"Conditions for this fight. First, no special attacks. Only your martial arts training. That means no Bakusai Tenketsu or Shishi Houkodan. I won't use any of my special attacks, either. No Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, Hiryou Shouten Ha, or Mouko Takabisha. Agreed?"

"What are you getting at, Ranma?"

"Only that I want you to stop all this crap about wanting to killing me. I'm gettin' sick of it all. So, do we have a deal?"

"Sure. As soon as I finish with you, I won't have to prove anything."

Ranma just smirked.

They fought for nearly an hour, proving to Ryoga that Ranma was actually pretty good. Great, even. Afterwards, Ranma had treated him to a quick meal. It was all he could do to lift the udon noodles to his mouth after the thorough beating Ranma had given him. How had he ever thought he'd be able to beat Ranma in a fair fight? He'd only lasted because of his strength, his body's toughness, and his own skills.

Ranma, however, had used no dirty tricks whatsoever. He'd only used his speed and skills. It'd finally wore the seemingly indestructible Ryoga down. True to his own word, Ryoga had sworn off his vendetta. After a little bit of talking, he'd agreed to Ranma's request of not sleeping in Akane's room. He would still be her confidant, he promised to himself, but he'd try to get out of there as soon a possible.

*No, Ranma isn't totally honorless. He at least kept my secret from Akane all this time. He's even helped me out a few times. After all that I've done to him in the past few years, how is it that he could consider me a friend?* That was really puzzling. *Well, he did help me get to school and back. He didn't taunt me like the other guys did, only a remark here and there about it. Nothing mean, as I recall.*

Why had he not seen this before? *Oh, right. Hindsight, they say, is twenty-twenty. He's still an insensitive jerk, though. Can't blame him too much for giving me a hard time after having slept in Akane's room as a pig.*

Then came the question of why he'd followed Ranma to China. Could it have been his hatred, or the sense of loss of a friend that had driven him to the brink? What everybody else had done to him had been met with scorn, only because they'd taunted him with his own curse. Maybe he'd overreacted when Ranma had left after not showing up to their man-to-man fight. But Ranma had shown no dislike to him when he finally recognized him. Actually, he'd reacted like a friend might have. That was something to take note of. He'd even sworn to keep his secret after having been attacked without explanation.

Looking up to his parents, he conceded the fact. "Yeah, I guess he's a friend. Wouldn't have figured it to be him, but I guess it is. We fought a lot in the past, but we've helped each other a lot, too."

His father spoke up. "The weirdest things will happen in this world. Some can't be explained, but that's the way life is sometimes. True friends like that are hard to come by. Many people we meet are only acquaintances. You see them a few times over the years, but that's all. This Ranma seems to be a pretty good friend, considering how much you've seen him over the past few years or so."

"Um, I guess. We fight a lot, but that's probably because we're one of the few who are close to each other's skill level." He took a sip of his tea, savoring it.

"Be that as it may, you seem to have made something of that fighting. Our hearts express themselves in the strangest ways," his mother said sagely.

Ryoga's father rummaged in his pack, pulling a scroll out. The case was worn from being handled many times. He handed it over to his son. Reverently, Ryoga took it and opened the case. Inside was an ancient scroll. Unrolling it, he read the first lines.

An account of the line of the Hibiki line. Beginning on the Christian dating system of 1630. The establishment of the Hibiki line as Samurai and holdersof the true faith given by the Emperor of Japan.

It continued from there, telling about the exploits of his ancestors and how they had gained the honor of becoming Samurai. He looked up from the scroll.

His father cut him off before he could say anything. "There's more to the curse, too." He started to press his index fingers together, looking really nervous. Seeing her husband in trouble, Ryoga's mother came to the rescue. He smiled at her gratefully.

"There's more to how the family curse works. Have you ever considered how I might have gotten it? I wasn't a Hibiki before I married your father, you know."

"It, ah, never crossed my mind," was his response.

"The women that marry into the Hibiki line, or the men for that matter, don't suffer from the curse because of association. It's after the marriage and their ultimate consummation that causes the curse to be activated." Ryoga gave her a blank stare. Seeing this, she looked at her husband. "He seems to take after your side of the family on that score."

"Hey, now. He's your son, too."

Ryoga looked to his mother. "What do you mean by consummate?" The word didn't register in his vocabulary for some odd reason.

With an exasperated sigh, she looked at her son. "It means that when we were married and had sex."

Ryoga blushed to the roots of his hairs, not used to the S-word being said so casually. And by his mother, even. Blood spouted from his nose and began flowing freely down, dripping off of his chin. With the sudden blood loss from his brain, his eyes rolled the back of his head and he fell to the floor,  
>unconscious.<p>

His mother stared at this reaction, shocked. The burst of laughter from her side caused her to look at her husband. He appeared to be rolling on the floor, succumbing to riotous mirth. "And what, pray tell, is this commotion all about?"

After a minute, he sat up. In between gasps for breath, he said, "His reaction is exactly like mine when my parents told me about it."

Seeing the humor in this, they both laughed. She cleaned up her son, allowing her husband to take the young man upstairs to his bed. Checkers followed him into the room and lay curled at Ryoga's feet. With a soft chuckle, she retired with her husband for the night.

The heat shimmered up in waves from the road. Not a cloud was present to offer any means of cooling the day, whether by shade or rain. The sun was high overhead, shining down in all its glory. The sky around it seemed to melt away from it, making it look like a white halo surrounded it.

The lone figure walking on the road stopped and pulled his forearm across his forehead, wiping the sweat from his brow. He looked behind him to see how far he'd come. With a sigh, he turned back, not liking it one bit. Only thirty kilometers in the past few hours. The sun seemed to be sapping the strength out of him as he walked. It wasn't usual, but the fight earlier had taken more out of him than he'd expected.

Looking around for someplace to take a break, he spotted a sparse copse of trees. They offered only a little shade, but it would do. Even so little would be like paradise in this heat. Taking a seat, he pulled a canteen out and took a pull of the lukewarm water, making a grimace.

He spotted a truck coming down the road, kicking up dust in its wake. He watched its passing, disinterested. Squinting against the dust that was rolling over him, he got up. After walking another half-mile, he came to a fork in the road. His initial decision was to go to the right. Upon consideration, he decided that the best would be to go left. The normal human response was to go right. But he didn't want to do something like that. Trudging across the road, he set upon his path. The day wore on. Slowly, but surely, the lone figure made his way to a training hall.

It was late afternoon, the shadows stretching across the ground. The sound of students practicing came out of what must be the dojo. Their shouts rang true as they followed the lead of their sensei.

Stepping up to the doorway, he looked in to see four lines of five students. The sensei stood on a raised platform, allowing each and every student to see him as he demonstrated a move.

The sensei spotted the young man standing in the doorway and called for one of his leading students to take over. With long strides, he made his way around the students and stood before the arrival. He bowed, saying, "I am Kawamura, master of this dojo. How may I help you?"

The young man bowed in response. "I am Saotome Ranma, practitioner of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. I'm here to challenge you or a number of students, hoping for the chance to learn from you. Should I find that you have something to offer, I will offer my own services in teaching or helping with the dojo in some way."

The older man laughed at the challenge. It was valid, but amusing. His students stopped and stared at their sensei, wondering what had transpired.

Ranma smiled, as this was the usual response he got from his challenges. Somebody as young as him and alone coming out of nowhere to challenge a whole dojo was not common. Kawamura-sensei smiled back in return and turned back to his students. He called out five of his best students forward. They stood a few feet away, awaiting further instructions.

"How do you prefer to do your bouts? A point match, knock out of the ring, or round-robin?"

"Round-robin, please."

"Agreed." To his students, "Form the circle. You five will fight in order of level, lowest to highest." They did so, allowing Ranma to step inside the ring. The first student stepped forward and bowed to Kawamura-sensei. Ranma did the same. They turned to each other and bowed.

Ranma's opponent assumed an attack position while he only stood in a relaxed stance. The student attacked, aiming a kick for Ranma's solar plexus. With ease, Ranma blocked the kick.

Twenty minutes later, Ranma was walking out of the dojo shaking his head. Inside were five unconscious forms. Kawamura-sensei looked upon his unmoving students. He'd witnessed one of the most spectacular fights in his many years. He'd underestimated Saotome, to his embarrassment.

Ranma got back onto the road. The sensei of this dojo was only Dan level, not a Grand Master, as he'd hoped. There was nothing for him to learn from this man. Shrugging, he continued on his training journey.

Night came and the time to make camp came about. After setting up his tent and eating, he sat before his fire. A small box lay in his lap. Opening it, he gazed upon its contents. The moon watched him from above with sympathy. He'd sacrificed so much since he'd acquired those locks of hair. His heart had been betrayed. Well, never again. This I swear. Nobody's gonna get to me. I'll just…just find someplace to teach and stick to that. No room for romance. It gets you nowhere. He sighed, resigned to his fate.

A single tear made a track down his face as he stared at the bundle of hair held together by the simple bow. It would be a reminder in the years to come of his own follies, he knew.

Akane walked through the park with a few of her friends. Sofi, Sayuri and Yuka were chattering about boyfriends again, or the lack thereof. Their words were interrupted by the intermittent bout of giggles. For some reason, Akane didn't seem to be enthused. Sofi noted this and pulled her off to the side. Sayuri and Yuka continued their babbling.

"What's the matter, Akane? You seem out of sorts today."

"Oh, it's nothing. I've just got some things on my mind."

Sofi wasn't put off by the vague remark. "What sort of things?"

Akane squirmed under the attention she was getting.

"It's Ranma, isn't it?" Akane's blush confirmed her suspicions. "Hasn't he called you or anything in the past couple of weeks?"

Akane shook her head. "Why should he? We're not engaged anymore, so there's no reason for him to. He said he forgave me, but he never made much contact with me after we made up. He only spoke with me if it was necessary, seeming to avoid me. I think I blew it really bad this time. What I said that night was too horrible, even for Ranma."

"Hmmm. Maybe he needs a little time. You guys have fought before and he's always come back. It may be that he needs to think things over. He did go on a training trip, so he may be a bit preoccupied. You never know with Ranma, right?"

"I guess you're right. It still bothers me, though. When we came back from China, I thought he had some sort of feelings for me. But, when I confronted him about it, he denied everything."

"Did you ever consider how Ranma was raised?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, who practically raised him? His father, right? How often do you think he allowed Ranma to show his feelings? Seems to me like it would be none."

"Uncle Saotome is an idiot. Everybody knows that. He put Ranma through the Neko-ken. Any father that would do that should be shot, as far as I'm concerned. But he is Ranma's father. Given his upbringing, Ranma really didn't come out too bad."

"And this coming from you, Akane? You always seemed to see everything bad about Ranma." Sofi smiled as Akane blushed to the roots of her hair again. This time in shame.

"I started thinking about everything he's done a bit more after he left the dojo. His sense of honor has gotten him into more trouble, but that's what makes him Ranma. He's just too nice, except when it comes to me. He would always insult me."

"That's a two-sided coin there, you know. I can recall numerous times where you'd call him 'baka' or 'hentai.' Then there's your temper, or was that jealousy?"

"JEALOUS! Of Ranma? Never!" Her exclamation caused Sayuri and Yuka to turn around. Both laughed at Akane. From her shout, they knew instantly what the problem was.

Poking Akane in the ribs, Sayuri said, "Yep. It's shown itself any time one of his other fiancées showed up, you know. Only somebody blind, deaf, and dumb would be unable to see it. Except, of course, someone like you and Ranma. Both of you are the same way."

"What? When has Ranma ever been jealous? He only liked to torment me."

"Oh, and him messing up any of the dates you went on with some other guy isn't jealousy," quipped Yuka.

"Ranma jealous? Hah! That's a joke." Yuka looked at Akane and threw up her hands up in disgust.

"Whatever," Sofi said. "Well, there are other guys out there. So, if you're not gonna get Ranma, you might consider them. It'd be too bad if you died an old maid, you know."

Akane snorted, but didn't respond any further. She decided that it was high time to change the subject and did so. The other young women took the hint and went along with it.

Finishing their walk in the park, the four departed for their own homes. Akane sat in her room, looking out into the night.

The stars winked above, trying to cheer Akane up. The moon stared down at her. It didn't offer any comfort, but didn't add any discouragement, either. Was it time to give up, she asked herself. Now that she didn't have Ranma to hide behind, was there a chance that she'd find somebody who'd look out for her as he'd done so many times? Probably not. There was still a chance, though.

A single tear made a track down her face as she stared at the picture she had been given for Christmas. The two who were apart really weren't, though.

Ukyo cleaned the last thing left in the restaurant. It was spotless after all the time she and Konatsu had put into it. She could leave tomorrow, as she'd planned.

Konatsu stepped out of the back kitchen, holding a cleaning rag. He was wearing an apron over a shirt and jeans, making him look more like the guy he really was, instead of the girl he'd been raised as. Ukyo had appreciated the change, but still hadn't changed her mind concerning her feelings about  
>the kunoichi.<p>

"I just finished. All we have to do is put the cleaning supplies up and we're done for the day."

In a voice still more feminine than Ukyo preferred, Konatsu said, "Okay. I'll be heading to the train station earlier than you in the morning. I'll be visiting my family, as well, so I won't be around to watch the restaurant."

"I know. I've already made arrangements to have somebody watch the shop while I'm gone. Will you be staying home?"

"I don't know yet. My aunt was talking about having employment for me that suited my skills more. She thinks I'm wasting my abilities by working here. We'll have to see."

Konatsu was a great worker and had added revenue to her restaurant when he used to wear his kimono. The last two months had changed, but he still pulled in money for her. The switch of gender material had brought the girls in, which was startling. They liked the athletic tone of Konatsu and would flirt with him, to his astonishment. The guys had lamented the loss of the girl that had used to work there, but had come to enjoy the excellent okonomiyaki. They never made the connection with the kunoichi that worked for her, which was fortunate.

"I'll be at my father's for a while, so I don't know how long I'll be there. It's an open-ended trip, so it may be a month or so before I come back. I'll call you when I do, though. If you can't make it back to work here, I'll understand."

Konatsu smiled. "I appreciate that." Bowing low, he went upstairs to clean up and finish packing his belongings.

After sitting there for a while, Ukyo followed suit and made her way to her bedroom. It had been almost three years since she'd seen her father, as she'd left a year prior to finding the Saotomes. After that, she'd opened her restaurant and hadn't taken the time to see him. Now seemed like a good  
>opportunity to visit.<p>

Cologne gazed upon the sprig held in her hands. Her gloved hands cupped the plant protectively. Now was the time to return to the village. The seed was now in a pouch, hanging from her waist. The roots dangled over her palms, hanging limply. She'd decided that it wouldn't do to leave the roots intact in the earth, since it might sprout again. For the plant to create another seed would never do. The Amazons had exclusive rights to the seed. Anybody who came here in the future would find a plant with extraordinary capabilities. It was unlikely that such would happen, but you never knew.

Opening a pouch wider, she slipped the sprig in with the rest of the plant she'd harvested. Shampoo stood not too far away, watching intently.

It is now time to go, Xian Pu.

Yes, great-grandmother. Are you sure this will work, she asked for the umpteenth time.

Yes. I'm sure of it.

Shampoo didn't smile at the pronouncement, simply staring at Cologne with no emotion evident. This disconcerted the ancient Amazon. The lack of caring about what was going on was uncharacteristic of the young Amazon. She usually had an enthusiasm that needed to be suppressed. This attitude had started shortly after Son-in-law had come by to announce that he had no intention of ever marrying Shampoo.

Bah! She'll snap out of it when she has her husband back in the village. Pushing her worry away, she started her trek out of the mountains. It would be faster getting out of them, since it was easier backtracking, rather than trying to find an elusive valley.

Four days of travel brought them to the lookout posted a few miles outside of the village. It was not empty of a guard, as it had been in the past. It had been for several years. That was a reason why Ranma had been able to enter the village so brazenly. Now was not the case, however.

A challenge was called out. State your name and business. Stopping, the two travelers looked up into the tower.

Elder Matriarch Khu Lon and Warrioress Xian Pu.

Two Amazons leapt out of the brush after the recognition. Unconcerned, Cologne continued on her way. The two were only there to provide an honorary escort for her, as if she needed it.

The village was doing its daily routine, ignoring the return of the two women. The doings of an Elder Matriarch were not those of the common woman. They knew she was after a foreign man, trying to get his strength added to the Amazon bloodlines. It didn't affect them at the moment, so there was no need to be concerned at the moment.

Cologne didn't bother going to the council chambers. Heading straight home, she went into her personal workshop where she started setting up shop. The leaves of the plant needed to be dried. Very carefully. She didn't have half of the apparatuses in Japan as she had here. Simply letting them hang to dry or some other such method was out of the question. Spells would not be necessary, but a simple kitchen was not the place to prepare the concoction she was to administer to a certain young man.

With no need of help from Shampoo, she sent the youth to her father's. There, she could rest from the trip and prepare for the next. Meanwhile, she could catch up on some of her training and visit family. Not that she'd be gone for long, of course.

Sighing at her own musings, Cologne pulled the entire plant out of the pouch. Selecting a silver knife, she began to cut each leaf off just at the base. The plant was a trifoliate, meaning that there were three leaves that protruded from each stem. There were five of these. The larger, and ones closest to the root, were darker. They held the most potency, since they'd been growing the longest. The smaller held a great deal of power, but not as much as the older. But, to get the desired effect, Cologne needed all fifteen leaves to brew the tea she would use on Ranma.

Pulling out several odd-looking tools from some cupboards, she began humming to herself. Getting into her work, she let the time slip by her.

Ryoga sat up in his bed. It felt so warm. Snuggling deeper under the covers, he thought of staying there forever. The smell of food cooking enticed him. When his brain registered the fact that something edible was being prepared, this was picked up on by his stomach. In turn, a loud rumbling could be heard.

Sighing, Ryoga finally pulled himself out of bed and picked up a change of clothes and headed for the bath. It was hard to get lost in his home if he paid attention. He got lost every once in a while, but rarely.

Ryoga undressed and threw the clothes he'd been wearing into the hamper, placing the clean clothes nearby. Entering the washroom, he started cleaning himself. Dousing himself with warm water, since he didn't want to activate his curse, he entered the furo. Just as he was settling down into the warmth, his father entered.

The older man cleaned himself and entered the furo where his son was relaxing, enjoying the soothing heat. His thoughts brought him back to the previous night's conversation.

"Son, what we discussed last night is very important. Not many women are willing to sacrifice themselves to be with us. It's easier for the women of our family to gain suitors, as the men are able to accept the curse much easier. I roamed around for nearly twenty-five years before your mother and I finally met and got married. I never kept from her what our marriage would entail."

Ryoga nodded and let the pronouncement soak in along with the heat from the water.

Seeing that Ryoga was listening, he continued. "Don't be discouraged if you have trouble finding a fiancée. There were a few women that held promise for me, but decided that it was too much of a sacrifice for them. But I finally found the woman that accepted me as I am. I also know that you have another curse." Ryoga looked sharply at his father, but let him continue. "Your mother doesn't know about it, since you hadn't volunteered the information. I know it's a bit difficult with the two, but remember that there is always hope. Never give that up. You have family and friends that care about you. Don't get too depressed and do something stupid. It'd hurt your mother too much if you did.

"We didn't bring you into this world to let you self-destruct. There are always others to help you out of your problems, whether they be small or overwhelming. Not a week goes by when your mother and I find it necessary to remind ourselves why we love life so much. You need only remember that you have to parents that love you very much. Keep that in mind and you'll be able to pull through just about anything."

"T-thanks. I, um…How did you find out about the curse?"

"I happened to find you and was heading towards you when, somehow, water found you and changed you into a pig. You ran off before I could get to you, so I just continued on. Fortunately, you mother wasn't around. I did find her later that day, but I didn't say anything to her for you. I don't know how many times I've walked through Jusenkyo without falling in." He waited for the reaction he was expecting.

Ryoga didn't disappoint him. He started stuttering, trying to ask several questions at once. Finally, his mind sorted out the order that he wanted. "How did you know it was a Jusenkyo curse?"

"I've passed through it about a dozen times in the past three decades or so. Once, I even tried jumping into one deliberately. That was after I'd spoken to the guide that lives there. I wanted to drown myself in one, as I was feeling particularly distressed at the time. Don't ask me about what, but let's leave it at the fact that I did it before I met your mother. Well, anyway, I talked to some fellow that lived not too far and found that there is a reason people get cursed. Each spring has a purpose in mind. At least, that's what he said. You can't just decide whether or not you need a curse without the pools choosing you. Or if you wanted to drown yourself in one of them. When I jumped, I was literally pushed back onto dry ground."

"So, you're saying that there's a reason I was cursed? That sounds a little, uh, absurd. A curse is only to torment the one that it has a hold of, isn't it? I mean, what purpose is there for me to turn into a black piglet? None that I can see of."

"The Kami works in mysterious ways," was his cryptic answer.

"Hmph." Ryoga sank down until his nose was just above the surface.

He heard his mother call out, saying that breakfast was ready. His father exited, leaving him to his thoughts. Pulling himself out of his reverie, he got out and took care of the furo, considering that if they got lost today it would only stagnate and leave a reeking mess. Pulling his clothes on, he headed  
>for breakfast.<p>

Ranma looked at the horizon. The sparse clouds hinted at the storm clouds that were rushing behind them. After a week of intense heat, the weather was finally cooling down. That also brought the problem of him changing into a girl. That always sucked.

Couldn't be helped, though. Shrugging, he settled his pack on his shoulders more comfortably. One of the sandbags had shifted too much. They were needed to add weight to the pack so he could get a workout. He turned back to the way he was going. The dust wasn't being kicked up by the wind, but his steps made up for that. Ahead was another dojo.

One foot in front of the other. That was the way to do it. Don't think of how the legs burned after carrying the weight over all those miles each day, the only interruptions a quick fight at the next training grounds. None of them had offered much for him. After spending a few hours at each one,  
>he'd continue on.<p>

Had he reached a plateau? He refused to believe that. There was always something new to learn. Just have to find the right place. So far, no such luck. Several miles later, he came upon another dojo. Looking at his map, he confirmed the location. Just outside of Kyoto.

Ranma walked up to the compound. The courtyard was empty of life, but the familiar sound of students could be heard coming from the dojo. Looking at the dojo, Ranma was glad he had chosen this place. The place was huge. Shifting his backpack on his shoulders again, he went over to the open shoji. It was larger than the Tendo dojo, more like a school gymnasium.

A few students saw him, pointing and catching the attention of their comrades. Dropping his backpack and shoes, he stepped inside, searching for the sensei. While he was looking, he did a rough count of the number of bodies present. Almost eighty guys and about half the number of girls. Well, today's going to be interesting. He spotted the Nagasawa, the sensei, and started walking towards him.

By the time he was halfway to the sensei, who had been watching a pair of the younger students spar, all motion had been stopped. A tense, hushed murmur filled the air as the students talked among themselves about the intruder. They saw his relaxed and confident walk, attributing it to his skills or his arrogance. The students with more experience wondered how good he really was.

Ranma bowed low to Nagasawa-sensei. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Saotome Ranma, student from the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." He said this just loud enough for those within five meters to hear him. The students, he knew, would pass his name to the others like wildfire. "I'm on a training mission and am here to test my skills. If there is anything here for me to learn, I would like to train here for a time."

Nagasawa-sensei had been sizing him up the since the he'd taken his first step into the dojo. He recognized the name. The first time he'd encountered it had been many years ago. A name came to mind. Yes, Saotome Genma. That's the fellow I remember. Seems he's sending either a student in here to distract me so he can steal something or he's up to something more diabolical. He was in the company of two others. Think, think. Ah! One a very perverted old man and another…Tendo Soun. His left eye twitched a little at the memory.

Drawing himself up with a stern expression, he said, "Where is your sensei? Does he have enough faith in your abilities to actually send you out on your own?"

Ranma had seen the recognition at the name. And the reaction. Remembering the story for such instances, he said, "My father no longer goes on training missions with me. We had a falling out some  
>time ago. As to my master, I do not claim one. The founder of my school is a perverted old freak and I refuse to claim him as such. Therefore, I decided that going out on my own would be the only way for me to find the proper challenges I required."<p>

Nagasawa-sensei was impressed by the confession and the sincerity. It seemed that this young man had circumvented the ill teachings of the two and decided to make a name for himself. It was commendable. Relaxing a little, he said, "I will allow you to train here. But, first, I must assess your  
>abilities." Turning away a little, he said in a louder voice, "Form the ring."<p>

The students complied, forming a large circle in the middle of the dojo. Ten of the students were arrayed in front of Ranma. It appeared that they were the ten best students of the dojo. Two of them were female. Ranma didn't like it because he'd have to hit them. Not doing so would insult their  
>abilities, since one was only two positions from the head of the class.<p>

The first combatant stepped forward as the others took kneeling positions, awaiting to see if they would be competing. The best student looked bored, since he didn't think Ranma would be able to make it up the ladder to him.

Ranma squared off with his opponent, in a ready crouch. Nagasawa never said a word, only slapping his hand on the mat to signal the two to begin. The student made the first move by kicking high at Ranma. Letting the blow land on his forearm, Ranma twisted his hand around a caught the leg before it could be retracted, immobilizing it to his side. Sweeping his own leg, he sent his opponent to the floor. There was an audible grunt.

The young man flipped off of the floor, bounding back several paces from Ranma, ready to continue. Ranma allowed a smile to play across his lips. He was now ready to take control of the match.

He had decided earlier that he'd work through the katas of Kempo, knowing the style of this particular school. It was his favorite, after all. During this time, Nagasawa-sensei would realize what he was doing and decide whether or not Ranma could pick up a few more kata for his repetoir.

Thus, he began to systematically beat each of the students as they stepped forward. When the women came after him, he made it look that he was going out as much as he had been on the guys. He really didn't want to hurt them. In successive order, they were dropped to the mats, falling. He paid special attention to how and when he struck the women to unconsciousness. Nagasawa saw this and wearily shook his head at the obvious, to him, chauvinism.

As he'd fought, the more advanced students had picked up on what he had been doing. When that had happened, the fights had become more interesting, as they were using the kata that would counter each and every one. The only problem for them was that they weren't as fast or as strong as Ranma. When they started their countering of his kata, Ranma picked up the speed of his attacks, keeping them off-balance the entire time.

When the ninth student fell, Ranma turned to the final opponent he would face.

The fellow was glowing an angry red, having seen his colleagues beaten. He swore to himself that he wouldn't underestimate the upstart Saotome.

"I, Kato Ushio, will teach you a lesson," he said through clenched teeth. Calming himself, he stepped forward. Ranma was used to this sort of exclamation, so he took it in stride.

What surprised Ranma was that Kato had some speed to go along with his size. He stood a full head taller and had an extra forty pounds added to him. He was quite a bit broader of shoulder than Kuno, he noted.

There were obvious flaws in Kato's attacks. He was a bit more angered than he would have cared to admit, opening his defenses more when he attacked. Ranma let these pass, wanting to see if there was anything he could glean from Kato as they fought.

Nothing presented himself, so Ranma switched from the defensive to attack. The students surrounding them had been watching anxiously, seeing Kato driving Ranma across the mat to the edge of the circle. Their faces fell when they saw Ranma begin his own show again. Nagasawa-sensei only nodded, keeping his face neutral as he watched the final moments of the match.

Kato kicked at Ranma, only to strike air. A weight landed on his leg in the form of one Saotome Ranma. Before he could drop his leg, he was poked in the nose by Ranma by one of his toes. Taking the insult, he started to throw more powerful strikes at the smaller man. Each one was dodged, as they continued to work up in speed and strength. Unable to keep up with Ranma, he stepped back to assess the situation, trying to calm himself again.

Ranma stood several paces away from him, just standing in a relaxed manner. His stance didn't show either way whether he would attack or defend.

Drawing on his inner reserves, Kato used his ki to add to his abilities. He'd been working on this for some time with the help of Nagasawa-sensei. It only took a few breaths for him to get to the point he was looking for. Ready, he squared off against Ranma.

Ranma saw what Kato was doing and watched intently. Opening his sensed, he understood what Kato had done. With a grin, he set about duplicating the method used. It was simple, considering he was pretty good with his own ki as it was. It was apparent that Kato had only recently started to focus his ki, allowing for the more advanced techniques to be mastered.

Nagasawa-sensei saw the most incredible sight before him. Right before him was a young man who had done a technique by only seeing it once.

Engrossed in his own actions, Kato never realized what Ranma had just done. Finally, he struck.

Ranma was tagged by a punch, rolling away from the kick that quickly followed. After another assessment of his opponent's abilities, he decided that he could still fight Kato with his natural abilities. He dropped the ki technique.

In a bored manner, he started to finish off Kato by placing punches at every vital area from his abdomen to his head. With Kato's ability activated, he barely noticed the light punches he received. The last one brought about the sharp pain that Ranma had been opting for.

Stumbling back, Kato looked over at Ranma, who was only sweating lightly from the workout. With a yell, he charged, not caring how insane he looked.

Bracing himself, Ranma prepared for his final attack.

Kato's three long strides brought him to the smaller man. Looming over him, he tried pummeling Ranma through the floor. As he raised his fists, Ranma struck.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

On the far wall was now a rather large human pancake. Kato groaned, sliding down to the floor to lose consciousness.

The students stared, dumbfounded at the spectacle that had been played before them. The speed that Ranma had displayed had been inhuman. Only the presence of Nagasawa-sensei stopped them from mobbing Ranma and asking questions.

Standing, Nagasawa-sensei motioned for Ranma to follow him outside. Grabbing his belongings, Ranma followed the older man to the front door of the house. They stepped inside and were greeted by a woman, obviously the wife of Nagasawa-sensei.

"Bringing in strays again, dear?"

Nagasawa-sensei smiled indulgently, saying, "No. He defeated everybody just a few moments ago in the ring. He was quite remarkable. Seeing as how I have nothing to offer but a good bed and a meal for the night, I want you to entertain him until I'm through with the classes." Turning to Ranma, "I would like to speak to you later on tonight. So, if you'll follow my wife, she'll get you a bath and something to snack on until dinner."

Ranma bowed, accepting the invitation. It would be insulting now to turn down such hospitality, so he decided that it would be wisest to follow the instructions given. Nagasawa-sensei went back to the dojo to finish his class, entrusting Ranma to his wife.

She took him to the bathroom so he could clean the grime off and soak the bruises he'd attained during the bout, leaving a robe for his use. After he was done, she brought him to the dining room so he could have some tea and a couple pastries. They talked about inconsequential things, such as the weather, passing the time until her husband would arrive and entertain Ranma. Using much restraint, he was able to eat without looking like a human vacuum.

Looking up from his plate, he said, "Does Nagasawa-sensei have a trophy room? He must have competed, seeing that he has such a successful dojo."

"Why, yes, dear. If you would follow me, please." Ranma followed her through the halls to a small room. Arrayed inside were pictures and trophies. One particular article caught his eye. Reading quickly, he picked up on the fact that Nagasawa-sensei was rather high-ranking in Kempo. "Your husband is actually a Grand Master, eh?"

Smiling, she confirmed it. "Yes. He attained it about ten years ago at the age of fifty. Now he's on the panel of judges for the competition, instead of competing. I'm rather proud of how much he's attained since I've known him."

"Arigato." Nagasawa-sensei's wife 'eeped' when he wrapped his arms around her waist, startling her. "Yes, Saotome-san. I am a Grand Master. You may be wondering how I don't have anything to offer you in teaching. That's one of the things I wanted to discuss with you tonight." Disengaging himself from his wife, he lead the way out to the back where his personal garden was. A small pond, though larger than the Tendo's, was where he took Ranma. Kneeling down on the soft grass, he continued.

"From what I gather, you've picked up a lot in the way of martial arts. It's a mark of your abilities, considering how you saw and instantly understood the simple ki technique I had been teaching to him for weeks now. I'm pretty sure that you are able to use your ki in various ways. Would you care to demonstrate?"

Ranma looked over at Nagasawa-sensei, gauging his sincerity. Satisfied, he stood and concentrated. With all of his confidence, he cried out "Moko Takabishi," letting his powerful ki attack shoot up into the air.

Needless to say, Nagasawa-sensei was quite impressed. Sitting back on his haunches, he waited for Ranma to seat himself once more.

"Remarkable. And how old are you now?"

"Eighteen. I've been able to do that since I was about sixteen, though. A friend of mine used his depression to do the same sort of thing. But, since I wasn't able to get the same level of depression as him, I just used my own confidence."

"Ah. And you just happened to watch him perform this?"

"In a way, yeah. I know a few more techniques, but I don't think I'm supposed to teach anybody unless they're from the Amazon tribe I learned them from."

"Amazons, you say. I don't know of any here in Japan."

"Well, they're from China. It's a bit complicated in how I got to learn them, but an Elder decided I could learn them." He left it hanging, hoping the subject would be changed.

Sensing Ranma's reluctance to go further, Nagasawa-sensei asked, "What exactly brings you to these parts? I'm just a little out of the way of the normal routes traveled by ones such as you."

"Oh, well, my father refused to come this way several times in the past. So, naturally, I decided that I wanted to check out your dojo. I realized that I might not get a warm welcome, but I had to chance it."

"I'm glad you did. I've been wanting to see someone of your caliber for some time now. Though I can't help you with any decent training myself, I am, however, able to direct you to a fellow who would be able to." He thought back to the letter he'd gotten several weeks ago. It was apparent that this young man was the one described to him. "I'll give you an address and directions on how to get to this man's home. I would also like to ask a favor of you." He turned from his contemplation of the koi that were swimming lazily in the pond before him.

Ranma looked back at him, meeting his gaze.

"When you are finished with him this summer, I would like you to stop by for a day or two. During your time with him, I would like you to practice Forms. It would be an honor to me if I could issue you your Grand Master in Kempo."

Ranma gasped, utterly surprised at the esteem he was being given. For him to be asked back to attain his Grand Master was not even heard of. He'd never considered doing something like that in the near future. If Nagasawa-sensei thought he was worthy of such distinction, he couldn't rightly refuse or the refusal would be taken as a blatant insult.

"I-I would be greatly honored to come back, Nagasawa-sensei. I will work hard to meet your expectations when I come back.

"Good. I shall expect you to return." Turning back to the koi pond, he went into meditation. Ranma understood that the conversation was over and imitated the older man sitting beside him.

After an hour of this, they heard the distinct call of Nagasawa-sensei's wife that dinner was ready. Raising themselves up from the grass, they headed inside to enjoy a good meal.

Saotome Genma sat across from his long-time friend, Tendo Soun. They appeared to be contemplating the board between them. They'd been doing this for three hours now. The last hour of that had been uneventful. Meaning, that is, neither had taken a move yet.

With an audible sigh, Genma looked up from the board. "Tendo-kun. I've been thinking about our children again."

Soun drew his eyes away from the board he had been regarding. "Ah, Saotome-kun, your thoughts have mirrored mine. What are we to do? Our families must be reunited."

"We have to get Ranma back here so they can get married. It's the only way."

"How will you get your wife to agree? He left and she's told us to leave the two of them alone. Any time you mention going to see Ranma, she's threatened you with her katana."

Genma saw the slight trembling of Soun's lower lip, indicating that his friend would soon start to wail if he didn't head him off. "We'll find a way, old friend. I'll find a way to reason with Nodoka and get her to see the error of her ways."

He saw the terrified look on Soun's face, whose eyes were focused on something behind Genma. Suppressing a shudder, Genma turned.

Behind him was Nodoka. Her expression was stern. It was apparent that she'd heard the tail end on the conversation. Scared witless, he reached for the glass of water that he kept nearby. In a flash, the glass was knocked out of his reach, spilling on the floor. His wife held the unsheathed katana before here, the metal humming from having struck the glass container. With a practiced, smooth motion, she sheathed the katana.

"You will be staying out of Ranma's life for the time being, Husband." The tone she said 'husband' sent a shiver down Genma's spine. "You've had Ranma under your care for ten years. I think that's enough of your influence. He's manly enough for me and I have decided that he didn't have to commit seppuku. Your life, however, still remains sealed to the contract. With your interference over the past two years, you've managed to distance Ranma and Akane from each other, rather than help their relationship."

Soun started to weep silently. His emotions were running rampant, hoping that his friend wouldn't get himself into more trouble.

Nodoka continued. "It appears that I have to remind you every other week. In effect, you seem to be needing a short leash. Now that Ranma's gone for the summer on a training mission, I find that there are a few things that you could help me fix up at home. You've been lacking in your duties for the past twelve years. It's about time you took some responsibility."

Genma cast a nervous glance between Soun and Nodoka. He knew he would have to do something he'd avoided most of his life. Work. His wife would find the most cruel tortures allowed in modern society and apply them to him. Mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, fixing the little things that went wrong here and there, cleaning the drain gutters…the list went on and on. Sweat poured down his forehead, dripping off of his chin and nose.

Nodoka smiled. She would get her revenge on her wayward husband. He would redeem himself in her eyes or else. Hearing footsteps behind her, she saw Akane enter. "I have to be attending to Akane. If you'll excuse me."

Akane was in the dojo when she heard Nodoka enter the house and was greeted by Kasumi. Excited that Nodoka was there, she cleaned up her mess hurriedly and rushed inside. Skidding to a halt in the living room, she found Nodoka talking to her husband.

Nodoka walked to the younger woman, saying, "Why don't you get cleaned up before we start your lessons, dear?" Flushing, Akane sped off to do just that.

Fifteen minutes later, Akane was ready. Nodoka was in the kitchen with Kasumi, both talking about the best ways to keep the house going.

"What are we going to be working on today, Auntie Saotome," Akane said when their conversation lulled.

With a smile, Nodoka said, "Sewing, dear. You were doing so well yesterday and the day before that I wanted to continue the lessons into today. There were a few problems I saw that we might be able to remedy." They walked out of the kitchen and up to Akane's room. Opening a drawer, Akane pulled out her sewing materials.

Nodoka pulled up the chair from Akane's desk as Akane sat on her bed.

"Remember, dear, you need to remain calm and focused. Only after you've become fully competent are you able to make light conversation with others. I'll be watching your stitches while you work and correct you. Now, I would like to have you work on this pattern." Pulling a picture from out of her kimono, she handed it to Akane.

Akane's shoulders slumped when she caught sight of the pattern. It was a rose. It looked like a simple pattern. But, in reality, it was one of the hardest she'd been working on. Sighing audibly, she began her work.

Not long into her design, she was corrected by Nodoka. Seeing her problem, she corrected herself and continued. She was glad to note that the lessons had made it so she wouldn't impale the needle into her finger every time she drew a stitch.

The coaching continued for an hour. By the time this was over, Akane's nerves were frazzled. It wasn't sewing she really wanted to work on. Cooking lessons was what she desperately needed. Nodoka wanted to keep the kitchen disaster down to once per week, though. Her curry had been doing pretty well for the past several months and they'd been working on other recipes.

The last cooking session had been three days prior. It had been a disaster, considering she'd nearly burnt the house down when she'd caused a grease fire in the wok. She'd been mortified at her blunder and ran to her room after the destructive force had been tamed, locking herself in for the remainder of the night. Nobody had been able to get her to come out the entire night.

After Nodoka finished with the day's lesson, she went back out to the dojo. There was nobody to spar with, or at least a target to focus on besides the dummies. Well, at least I'm learning to be more like my mother. I hope she's proud of me. Beating the dummy didn't seem to alleviate her boredom, so she switched to a kata. She lost herself in the fluid movements.

Nabiki stood in the doorway of the dojo. She was wearing slacks and a blue blouse. Akane smiled and waved a greeting. Finished with her exercising, she walked up to her older sister. "What's up, oneechan? I haven't seen you around much lately."

"I've been working with some friends of mine. We had some things to work out." She turned and Akane followed her into the house. "Has Dr. Tofu been coming around lately?"

Akane thought for a moment. "Nope. Not that I can think of. I think he still has a hard time being around Kasumi. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I got to thinking. Kasumi's been helping us out for so long now, I thought it would be nice if we tried doing something nice for her. Since the two of them like each other so much, but can't seem to get around to doing anything about it, maybe we can help out a little."

"Hmmm. I think you're right. Maybe there is something we can do." Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "How about having Dr. Tofu over for a few meals? Would that help?"

"It might for a little while. But they need to go out together. You know, go on a date."

"You're right. But we should make it so he can stay coherent around her before sending him off and ruining everything. By the way, why the sudden interest in Kasumi's love life?" Her voice and face showed her bafflement at Nabiki's concern.

Nabiki smiled. Everybody thought of her as an Ice Queen. Even her sisters hadn't seen the layers that lay beneath the cool exterior. Well, maybe Kasumi had seen a little, she conceded.

Ever since Ranma's arrival, they'd been peeled away and revealed to Nabiki. It had surprised her at first, but had accepted it. There was no room for a man in her life right now, but that didn't discount the fact that her sisters were of a different mind.

"I've always looked out for the family. Kasumi's twenty-one now. It's about time for her to get married and out of the dojo. She's given too much of herself for all of us. I just think she deserves a reward, is all. She spent all those years trying to become a good wife. It would be a shame for her to just wither away in here. Besides, Kasumi likes Dr. Tofu and he likes her. Why not set them up together?" It sounded logical. There was no profit to be had in the way of money. Something like Kasumi's happiness would be reward enough.

Akane looked at Nabiki for a full minute before her sister decided that she'd had had enough of being stared at. She didn't know what to make of what the conversation had become, but was glad to find that her sister wasn't as unfeeling as she'd come to expect. At least, she hoped. There'd been times that she had had a chance to have or show feelings to another, but had turned it into mere profit.

Shrugging off the thoughts, she decided a run was in order for the day. Sprinting to her room, she changed and headed back downstairs to find Kasumi in the kitchen.

"I'm going on my run, oneechan," she told her. Stepping out of the house, she breathed in deeply, relishing the clean air. It had rained recently, so the air was fresher. After having breathed deeply a few times, she did a few stretching exercises before starting. Turning a corner, she started out slowly, enjoying the feel of her muscles loosening up even more.

Her jog brought her to the route that she and Ranma had used countless times. Slowing down, an idea started forming in her head. Ranma's words came back to her. "It's balance training. Oyaji says that to use every opportunity to train." She leapt up onto the chain-link fence.

Standing wasn't all that difficult. Carefully, she started to walk. That part wasn't too hard, either. She was a martial artist, after all. Gathering her nerve, she began increasing the pace. Unfortunately for her, she slipped and started to fall to the ground. Flailing, she managed to roll onto the ground and avoided any major injuries. The worst was to her pride.

Huffing, she jumped back onto the fence. There was no way she would be shown up. She'd learn how to run on the fence, even if it meant serious injury. It was a fact of life when it came to martial arts. Either you gave up because it hurt too much and were a failure, or you continued until you'd accomplished what you'd set out to do. And Tendo Akane didn't give up.

What brought her out of her concentration was the clapping from the audience she'd inadvertently drawn. They were clapping because of the handstand she'd managed after half an hour of experimentation and several scrapes. Hopping down, she bowed to them, blushing. Realizing that she would be missing breakfast soon, she sprinted off to the dojo.

Entering the house, she called out her usual, "Tadaima."

Kasumi answered back her greeting, saying "Why don't you go freshen up a bit, Akane." Taking the advice, Akane sprinted up the stairs. 


	4. Chapter 4

The characters from the Ranma by Rumiko Takahashi are used without license. This story is not for commercial use. It s just for the enjoyment of those who like to read the alternatives for the Ranma universe. Sorry 'bout not having a song for this yet, but I'm working on it.  
>Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts ~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese *~* signifies Mandarin thoughts<p>CHAPTER IV<p>

A TEACHER FOUND

Ranma poured the heated water into his thermos. Twisting the cap on, he put it into his backpack. Finishing with his preparations, he took care of the fire and was ready to continue his journey. Stopping at the edge of the clearing, he searched for any signs of his having stayed the night. It was good training to make it so that nobody could tell whether or not somebody had stayed at a campsite he d been at. A tracker had taught him and his father the signs to look for when it came to such matters. Satisfied that he couldn t find the smallest trace of his stay, he turned to leave.

Looking up, he saw a few clouds scooting across the sky. Only a few had the look that they d hold any rain, to his relief. He shouldered his backpack and headed down the trail to the main road. The dew from the brush dampened his pants, but he disregarded the minor discomfort, since it wasn t enough to cause him to change.

A small bird trilled its happiness as it pecked at its breakfast in the form of a small berry. The scuttling under some of the brush indicated either a rabbit or some other form of wildlife. The soft breeze that made its way through the trees was enough to bring goosebumps to Ranma s arms and cause the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up on end. It was invigorating.

Mornings like this was what he lived for. Ever since he d been small, he d enjoyed a good sleep and then waking to such a perfect morning. The wildlife was oblivious to his presence, unless they could see him, because he was as silent as still water. Not a sound came from him as he walked across the moldering leaves and sticks. The brush would whip past him, but he knew how to make it so it wouldn t cause any sound. His Ninjitsu training had taught him how to move through the thickest of forests and be as quiet as a secluded pond. Ever alert, he listened to the life-beat of the forest, reveling in the feel of everything around him.

As he neared the road, he could feel the life of the forest fade to a quiet whisper. The animals around here didn t like to go near the signs of habitation, such as roads, because it meant discovery. They opted for the security of the undergrowth and the tall trees where they would be safe from potential predators from the world of man, next to the fact that they would probably end up as a small splat on the side of the road. Only the bravest or the most desperate would venture out. Or the stupidest, for that matter.

Looking at the map he pulled out of a pocket in his backpack, he made sure he was on the correct path. The fellow he was going to only lived a couple of hours away from his campsite.

Time passed as he continued on his way to this next training ground at a good clip. He d skipped most along the way because of the sense of urgency he d heard in Nagasawa-sensei s words. Why he wanted Ranma to come here was beyond him, but he d agreed to get there as soon as possible. That had been three days ago. He d stopped at a few because of their potential, but hadn t stayed for long.

Looking up, he spotted the rather large signature that would lead him to his destination. Passing under the shrine s arch, he started the long walk up the stairs. Seeing the height of the stairs before him, he decided that it would be good to train on the way up, since there wasn t a specific time he was to arrive. Placing his feet together, he started hopping up to the next step. After the first hundred steps and a couple hundred more to go, he could feel his calves burning from the exercise. He was enjoying himself immensely.

When he reached the top, he saw the path leading off to the left that he d been told to take, ignoring the one going to the right. Both were shrouded by trees that hung over them, giving the place a peaceful feeling. He noted the careful pruning of the trees so that they wouldn t impede the movement of travelers without losing the feel of wild growth.

The wildlife here was subdued. Not as much as along the road, however.

The path he walked on opened up to a large clearing with a short rock wall around the edge. Forty meters away was where an enormous house stood. It was a magnificent structure. Three stories high with the best woods comprising the frame. The windows were artfully designed for a tasteful display. It wasn t like the Tendo dojo where everything seemed blocky. Here, it was a simple elegance with the touch of an artist s feelings in the work. The roof tiles were placed evenly, but the color pattern was staggered with a lighter tone to a darker, making it look speckled.

The lawn was kept meticulously. It had a fullness of health, the blades thick along the ground, nothing underneath showing. It was remarkably soft, too, as Ranma tested. The stones that composed the walk were sparkling in the morning sunlight, something like mica reflecting the brilliant light. A zephyr rustled the branches above him, telling him to continue on his journey.

Ranma remembered to breathe.

Walking up to the door, he rapped on the wooden frame, hoping to elicit a response from inside. After knocking again and still receiving no answer, he went around to the back. Another low wall surrounded a garden of immense proportions. It had been hidden by the angle of the house. The whole place would have kept the Tendo dojo compound inside of it. He heard the faint trickle of water from the other side. Opening the gate, he went in search of the proprietor. Various plants, most he recognized from his travels, grew in carefully groomed beds. Birds abounded in the tall trees that stood evenly spaced throughout, making the garden look like an organic temple.

Rounding a corner, he saw something that stopped his heart.

He managed to get one stuttered word out. "H-h-happosai?"

Nabiki was sitting outside the examination room. She was waiting for Dr. Tofu to finish with his current patient. As the elderly woman left, she took the opportunity to step into the examination room to meet with the doctor.

He was putting various instruments of his trade away when she entered. What he had on a tray cart was to be cleaned by one of his assistants. Hearing Nabiki s entrance, he turned to face her.

"Is there anything I can do for you? You don t appear to be hurt."

"I m not. I was wondering if you d like to have dinner at the dojo tonight."

"Um, ah. Hmmm." He was disconcerted at having been invited. He d been over there many times to help with the injuries that occurred on occasion and had never really been asked to stay. He tried to keep a professional viewpoint when it came to his patients,.

Nabiki was ready for this response and had come prepared. "We want to offer you a lunch for all the things you ve done for our family. Akane and I talked about it and decided that it d be good to have you over." With a mischievous glint, she said, "I m sure Kasumi would like to have you there, too."

This brought the desired effect. Dr. Tofu s glasses fogged up and he started twitching. Turning to his skeleton, he said, "Ah, Betty-chan, Kasumi wants to have us over for lunch. Isn t that wonderful?" Pausing, as if listening to an answer. "I agree. We must not let her down. We must be off to see her." Grabbing the skeleton, he started prancing around the room.

Nabiki avoided the dancing doctor, ensuring that he wouldn t leave until he had calmed down a bit. After a full five minutes of his antics, he finally seemed to calm down.

"Dr. Tofu, I d like to talk to you about something else."

The good doctor was panting a little with a faint sheen of perspiration on his brow from his exertions. He nodded, not knowing what else to say.

She held a finger up as she exited and promptly returned with tea. Setting it on the examination bed, she poured Dr. Tofu a cup, indicating for him to drink it. He did so. If he d have know what was in it, he d have probably denied Nabiki her wish. His heart rate slowed down considerably, his eyes glazing over a little.

She watched the doctor as the drug she d laced the tea with take effect. Sipping her own, she continued.

Wanting to see if the drug was actually working, she said, "Kasumi wants to have you over for lunch." It was a bit of a fib, but true nonetheless. Dr. Tofu twitched a little, but he didn t go into the delirious state he had before. She held out her hand, expecting payment. Dr. Tofu raised an eyebrow at this. He knew her all too well. Pulling out a bill, he handed it to her. It was enough, she decided. "That was for the services rendered."

"I see. What is it that seems to have affected me all of a sudden? You seem to know what it is."

"I put a sedative in your tea so I could talk to you about a certain my sister, Kasumi. Whenever you hear her name or see her, you go ballistic."

"Ah. I recall such instances. I m having a hard time controlling myself, I know. You seem to have a grasp of the situation, especially if you thought you needed to drug and extort money from me."

"Akane and I know how you feel about her. We decided that you needed to be able to control yourself if you ever wanted a chance at getting to know our sister a little more. We re really tired of waiting on you to get around to it before Kasumi gets too old, you know."

Dr. Tofu seemed to contemplate the situation. "I would like to try and get to get to know her better. I don t have too many patients for the day, as most of them are taking their vacations at this time of year. I can also reschedule a couple for later in the day. There is a problem with taking sedatives to control oneself, though. If you would, I d like to make a phone call to a colleague of mine so I can avoid any complications."

"Whatever you need. We ll be having lunch in about two hours. It ll be delayed until your arrival."

"Thank you." Nabiki left. Taking himself to his office, he pulled out a notebook and thumbed through it until he found the number he wanted. Dialing it, he waited for the phone to pick up on the other line.

"Moshi moshi," came from the other end of the line. He asked for the doctor he was trying to contact, who he was promptly transferred to. When the gentleman was on the line, he began explaining his situation. After it was explained, he was diagnosed and a prescription was faxed to him. Sighing, he went to his pharmacy and pulled out the medicine he was prescribed. He was rather reluctant to do this, but no other answer was forthcoming at the moment with such short notice.

He stood on the balcony of his family s mansion. The light played across the garden. It had been a long time since he d been able to watch the carefully pruned trees and flowers without the taint. The peacefulness pervaded the air, seeping into him. Relaxation came at a price, but he was deserving of it after so many years.

Kuno Tatewaki had slowly recovered from the drugs that he d ingested for a number of years from his sister s experiments. It had changed his outlook on the world, warping his mind beyond all recognition from what he had once been. His fixation on the past had known no bounds as he d built a wall of insanity around himself so that he could attempt a semblance of life.

His own actions that fateful day had shocked him into sanity for a time, allowing for him to realize he had become an obsessed maniac, much like his sister. That s why he d taken himself and his sister to an influential and strong-willed aunt to have her rid them of their inner demons. He had recovered somewhat, but at a price. His sister was still there. And would be for quite some time.

In his heart was the longing for his two loves. However, he knew that he d interfered with a holy ceremony and that had stained his honor. It wasn t the first that he d stooped low in life, but the one with the most impact. Taking the Kuno s katana to the Tendo residence had been tantamount of the basest actions that a person could do. Much less a self-proclaimed Samurai. Gone were the days of such chivalry, he knew. His family s prestige had comforted his time of need. Now was the time for him to face the world with a clear head and continue with his meager life.

Yes, meager. Many of the concoctions of Kodachi s had been addictive, not allowing for the slightest amount of withdrawal without fatal consequences. The ones that had a lesser effect had driven the household to distraction with his screams as he d been tied to the bed for weeks. In time, however, the poisons had been purged from his body. Most, anyway. There were perhaps half a dozen that he d have to live with for the rest of his life, but that was to be expected.

His thoughts strayed back to his lost loves. They were so perfect in their own ways. Tendo Akane was the epitome of the strong-willed woman of this generation. Her beauty was unmatched, save for the Pig-Tailed Girl. Her prowess in the arts was superb. The proclamations of his heart had gone unheard, however, as Saotome had woven a web of sorcery around her when he d arrived. But his actions for his part on their wedding were not called for. Their fathers had sanctified their union and that was enough for any and all to lay waste their claims on her. Even he, Kuno Tatewaki.

His other love was of exquisite beauty. She held herself like the flowers of his garden. Upright and pert. The fire in her soul showed itself in her vibrant attitude and the flames of her flowing hair. Without her, this world would be a dull place to live. Having met her, his life was fulfilled. But he could never have her, as she, too, was taken by the foul sorcery of Saotome. How would he free her? No, he could not allow himself to debase himself once again and interfere with another s life in such a way. His previous actions were testimony of how far he d allowed himself to sink. To do so again, he d sworn to himself, he d commit seppuku. Only then would he be able to redeem himself and the name his family.

However, he decided, he needed to find out how she fared. If she would be free of the machinations of Saotome, then he would be able to pursue her. Honorably this time, however. None of the challenges. None of the harassment as before.

How would he find her, though? Her whereabouts were always an enigma. Her every move had been manipulated by Saotome, who was staying at the Tendo dojo. Who there would know?

Only one woman, he knew. Tendo Nabiki. She was the best informant he knew in Nerima. Her ability to track down the most minute speck of knowledge was legendary. There was one way to approach her. Walking back inside, he pulled out his paper and brushes. With deft strokes, he wrote her an invitation to attend one of her favorite eateries where he could discuss matters with her.

"Sasuke," he called.

His faithful ninja appeared in the time it took to say his name. His eagerness to serve was unequaled. The absence of his master had been a debilitation on his existence. Maintaining the Kuno grounds without the occasional duties that utilized his abilities had made him distraught. Being able to serve once again allowed him to be happy.

Taking the proffered letter, he leapt away to find the intended recipient. His short, strong legs pumped as he raced along the rooftops, his heart singing its joy as it beat ever faster at the task before him.

Tatewaki returned to his contemplation of the garden below the balcony. The sun was approaching its zenith. Time passed peacefully as he meditated.

Tendo Nabiki was sitting in her room, browsing through her journal. The information therein was enough to keep her going during the time she stayed home for the summer. And beyond. Everything was minor, but able to sustain a steady income for the petty insecurities that she could exploit. Teenagers were so gullible, thinking that what they did in high school was so important in their future. Who cares if a boy went out with another girl when he already had a girlfriend. Now was the time to experience life and experiment. Socialization was what the raging hormones needed to stay calmed. But she could earn money from their insecurities and they would still continue with their lives, even if the information did get leaked to the wrong party.

A tapping at her window brought her from her musings. Turning, she saw something that chilled her blood. There was only one reason why Sasuke was at the dojo. Kuno was in town again.

With great trepidation, she opened her window to the ninja hanging from the eaves of the roof.

"I am glad to find you, Mistress Nabiki. Master Kuno sent me with this letter for you. Farewell." He handed over the invitation and was gone just as suddenly as he appeared, his task completed.

Nabiki looked at her name scrawled on the paper for a moment, debating whether or not to read its contents. Opening it, she read the intended destination of Tatewaki s and thought of denying him this one time. No. She wouldn t do that. He gave a lot of money for his requests. It d help her, anyway. Looking at the clock, she saw that she had an hour before she was to meet with the Kuno. Pushing him out of her mind, she went back to her desk and rummaged around in the notebook some more.

A half an hour passed and she decided that it was time to go. She d miss the lunch with Dr. Tofu s attendance. It was okay, though, since her role had been played out.

Ranma s mind was working in overtime. Before him stood one the oldest people he knew. The shriveled old man before him looked on curiously.

"Welcome," he said.

The voice was all wrong, Ranma s mind told him. It was more of a baritone than Happosai s. Then he started to note the differences. For one, this man was slightly taller. The hair was just as white, but there was more of it on his head than his self-proclaimed master had.

Knocked out of his shock, he started to analyze the ancient man in front of him more carefully.

The skin was more taunt on his body, indicating a better physique than Happosai could ever have. There was also a bearing about him that indicated a silent, yet massive, power. His senses had been trained to analyze and understand his opponent. They were fine-tuned to the point that he could assess them in contrast to his own.

Meanwhile, the old man before him was assessing Ranma, as well. He saw a well-defined young man with a poise that he hadn t seen in one as young for so long. Much like his own when he was at about that age, he recalled. His eyes were expressive, he noted, showing the turmoil that raged inside, as well as the curiosity and wariness. He switched to other senses and analyzed the power that was hidden in Ranma. What he saw made his jaw drop. There was so much untapped potential that he almost lost himself in the possibilities his mind could conjure up.

There seemed to be something wrong about Ranma. His ki was in an odd balance, as well as a magical aura pervading his entire being. Chaos swirled about him like flies on a corpse, manifesting itself as a palpable shadow around the young man. It made his stomach queasy before he suppressed the feeling. There was much to Ranma that he wanted to find out. He d accepted the challenge some time ago and would see it played out, even with the disturbances that appeared to follow the young man.

His manners finally kicked in automatically after a moment.

"Forgive me for being rude by staring. My name is Eisei Seijin. You wouldn t happen to be Saotome Ranma, now would you?"

The meaning of the man s name wasn t lost on Ranma. Seijin meant Pure Person and Eisei meant Eternal Generation. ((I did a search for holy and immortal, respectively))

Ranma nodded, not trusting his tongue.

With a smile, Eisei-sensei raised an arm to the house and indicated for Ranma to accompany him. Taking his cue, Ranma followed his host into the tea room. A pot of tea was sitting on a hot plate, waiting or consumption.

"I ve been expecting you," Eisei-sensei said, breaking the silence. "I didn t know exactly when you d arrive, since you only left Nagasawa s house only a few of days ago. You travel fast."

"I ran most of the way, only stopping at a few training grounds to see how they were."

"Sounds like you re in pretty good condition. Oh, what is it you called me when you saw me?"

Ranma felt uncomfortable for his mistake. This fellow, by any indication of his name and close residence to a Shinto shrine, was the antithesis of Happosai. "I just thought you were somebody I know. I called you Happosai, since he, ah, looks about as old as you are. Simple mistake." He laughed nervously. Since Happosai was so old, this fellow might actually know him personally or have heard of the old freak. Who knew? It wouldn t do to get on his bad side.

Eisei-sensei looked amused at this. "Don t worry. I do know him. We ve met a few times. Old men do resemble each other to the eyes of the young."

Ranma opened his mouth to object, but snapped it shut, his brain kicking in just in time to tell him to keep quiet for once. He took the proffered tea and drank. The aroma was pleasing, as well as the taste. It d been a parching journey and the tea was enough to quench his thirst, even if it was a tad on the hot side.

"Thank you for the hospitality. Ah, Nagasawa-sensei wanted me to come here. He said that you d be able to teach me a few things. He holds a lot of respect for you, if I don t miss my guess."

"He was a fine student of mine when he was young. I taught him for a couple of years before he felt a different calling. He wanted to compete, so I allowed him. He never came back for teaching. After a number of years, he opened up his own dojo and began teaching. I m quite proud of the accomplishments he s made so far. Since he sent you here to be trained, it seems that he thinks highly of your skills as well. That s also due to the fact that I asked him to send you to me."

He d been sent here at Eisei-sensei s request? This puzzled Ranma. Who d send for him? "If you don t mind my asking, but how do you know about me? What I mean is, did my father do something and promised you he d send me here to pay for whatever he did?" It d be just like him to do something like that. All the problems he had stemmed from his father in one way or another.

"No," he assured Ranma. "I have another friend that had an interest in you and requested that you be trained by me. I ll not say who he is, but you don t know him. He saw your potential and wanted me to give a bit in the way of direction. Meaning, of course, martial arts and anything else I need to deal with."

*Great. That s all I need. More people meddling with my life and deciding what I need to do. Can t they see I want to be left alone and study my martial arts?* His ire started to rise. *Damn it all! All everybody I ve met so far seems to think that what I want to do doesn t matter, only their own wishes.* He was tired of anybody and everybody pulling his strings for him. Well, he d cut them. "I m sorry, but I m not interested. You ll just have to tell your friend the bad news."

Headstrong. He liked that. However, it was to the point of folly in this case. "My friend went through a lot to get you here. It d be a shame if you didn t take the chance to see what he had in mind. You re the second person I know that he s taken a special interest in, and that s saying quite a bit. Why don t you get cleaned up and rest for a time. We ll talk a little more after you ve cleaned up and have lunch. What do you say?"

A bath. It was enticing. He could feel the grime caked on him after his hard traveling. Thinking more upon the invitation, the more appealing it became. Eisei-sensei had been a perfect host the entire time. He didn t want to be an ungrateful guest, so he acquiesced. He was led to a room where he would be staying the night, if he so desired. After dropping his backpack off and digging out a more presentable change of clothing, he was led to the bath. Stripping after Eisei left, he cleaned himself, relishing in the feel of the road dirt falling away from him, ignoring the change as usual.

Sitting in the furo, he mulled over his plight.

Any which way he turned, it seemed as if people were leading him around by the nose. Most of the time, it had been his father. Now it was some old man he had just met, who was following the directions of some mysterious guy who had a hidden agenda. Why would they be so interested in him, though? He was an eighteen-year-old martial artist who wanted to open a dojo and live a simple life. No complications. The past two years of continual fighting hadn t dampened his enthusiasm for such, but an occasional quiet spell wouldn t be too bad.

He slid further into the warm water, feeling the heat on his chin. His pigtail was submerged, floating in the water like a limp snake. It brushed his shoulder. Reaching up, he undid the tie that held it all together. He made sure that the Dragon s Whisker remained in contact with his hair. It wouldn t do to have his hair grow suddenly. Tying his hair into a ponytail, he sank back down into the water, feeling the strands fan out around his shoulders.

What to do, though? *Either I can accept the training, getting better, and be a puppet again, or take off. Which would be better?* He really didn t want to fall into a Catch Twenty-two. Since his father hadn t played a hand in this, it was entirely up to him to decide whether or not he d accept. It was almost a scary thought. It was far and few between when it came to scaring Ranma. But, being out in the world for the first time on his own, this decision-making stuff was new. The only one to be affected by his actions would be him, thankfully. Still, though, it was a heavy burden.

He was starting to become a prune, he noticed, and felt that it was time to exit the furo. Standing, he grabbed the towel and dried himself. He dressed and went into the dining room to find a meal ready. Eisei was waiting for him. He heard a humming coming from the adjacent kitchen. Seating himself, he looked at his host with an unreadable expression.

Eisei-sensei motioned for Ranma to eat, doing so himself. As he was eating, he heard the source of the humming entering the dining room. He looked up and saw a young woman with another tray of food and a pot of tea to refill their cups. Turning back to his food, he continued to eat his meal.

Eisei-sensei was puzzled. Here Ranma was, a virile, young man, and he hadn t elicited the slightest response concerning the sight before him. He d apparently assessed her as a martial artist and that was all, not showing any attraction towards her at all. When she left, he never seemed to bother with acknowledging her existence.

Said young woman was also puzzled. She knew she wasn t a super model, nor was she homely. She d seen Ranma s eyes and face. They hadn t shown anything to her. Usually, she had seen men linger on her assets. Ranma had only skimmed across her, no lingering whatsoever. It was quite disconcerting, to say the least.

Ranma smiled to himself. He knew what he d done. With him looking at her the way he did, he d probably just made an enemy or somebody who would try to get him to notice her. No such luck, as far as he was concerned. Besides, he d seen Akane, Shampoo and him herself many times. He knew how everything fit.

They finished their meal in silence.

Nabiki entered the kissaten and found Tatewaki sitting in the corner. She walked over to his table and sat down, affecting a bored expression. A waitress came up, asking for her order. She did so, indicating that her companion would be paying the bill.

"What is it now, Kunobaby?" His eye twitched with her familiarity that was a constant irritation to him, even to this day.

"I seek information of the fair Pigtailed Goddess. It has been since mine eyes have lain upon her. I wish to seek her out and profess my undying love for her yet again. It is my hope that after all this time that our hearts have only grown closer." He wanted to keep the pretense that he was still stuck with the Shakespearean ad-lib. He knew how much it irritated others.

His speech grated on her nerves. After all this time, he had the audacity to come seeking Ranma again. He was such a pervert. Who had ever thought she had any interest in him besides gleaning money out of him? *Romance with a Kuno? What a joke.* Something clicked while she distracted herself when her order arrived. *Why isn t he asking about Akane, though?* The question was shelved for later analysis. She held out her hand, awaiting the expected payment. It was paid. "She s not around anymore," she said bluntly.

Inside, she felt a rush of satisfaction from Kuno s dumbstruck face.

"And where may I find my sweet, fiery flower?"

Now it was time for her prior payment to kick in. Her sister, Kasumi, and Mrs. Saotome had confronted her some time ago about Kuno. They d said that if he d ever come back seeking the two youths again, she was to give him the truth about Ranma s condition and send him packing. It was a hefty sum that they d laid out in front of her. Since he didn t seem to be interested in Akane anymore, that made her job a lot easier.

"Kunobaby, I m gonna have to disappoint you this time. You see, I was petitioned to deal with you with extreme prejudice. My older sister and Aunt Saotome told me to do this for them." Reaching into the bag she d carried in with her, she pulled out a video tape and a book. "This tape sheds a little light on you Pigtailed Goddess . This book here tells about the condition that she has, I might add." Reaching back into the bag, she pulled out a folder. Inside were medical charts from Dr. Tofu she d acquired. "Inside here is the medical file of the same person. Should you have any questions, you can refer them to Dr. Tofu over at the clinic."

Tatewaki took the proffered items, looking them over. He began to notice a pattern. Half of them seemed to indicate that the patient was male, the other half female.

One record indicated a bruise on the underside of a woman s breast that had been treated, as well as other contusions and lacerations. Another indicated a similar condition on a man s pectorals, which was a follow-up on said bruises.

All indicated one Saotome Ranma.

He looked up at Nabiki. "Is this your own way for sick humor? It is completely lost on me."

Nabiki seemed to contemplate her food, a smile playing across her lips. This was too much fun. Why hadn t she done this before? *Oh, right. Nobody paid me to do this before now.* "Why don t you read the book. I bookmarked it for the place you need to pay attention to. After that, why don t you watch the video? If you have any further questions, find Dr. Tofu."

Tatewaki sat in silence for a moment, just watching Nabiki as she ate her soba noodles. Returning to his perusal of the medical files, he started to go over them more carefully, seeking discrepancies. He didn t notice when Nabiki left.

Dr. Tofu walked into the Tendo dojo nervously. He was excited for the opportunity to meet with Kasumi without losing his mental faculties or once. Walking up to the door, he opened it a little and called inside.

He was answered by the voice of an angel.

The owner of the voice came into view. Fortunately for him, the medicine he d taken was working as planned. Otherwise, he d have lost all control and started speaking gibberish.

Kasumi beckoned him to follow her into the dining room. "Do come in, Dr. Tofu. We ve been waiting for you."

"Ah, dear Kasumi. Please, call me Ono." She nodded her acquiescence, turning to the dining room.

Inside were Akane and Soun. Everyone sat down. The Tendo father looked to be holding back tears, the strain showing on his face. Akane, on the other hand, couldn t keep the smile off of her face.

Soun motioned for Kasumi to serve her guest first. Doing so, the others fended for themselves and ate.

The meal was heavenly bliss, as Ono found out. The talk during the meal was subdued. Kasumi was reluctant to say anything, for fear of making a mistake, as was the same with Ono. Added was the fact that they had two extra pairs of ears sitting nearby. They talked about inconsequential things, such as Dr. Tofu s daily practice and Kasumi s house work. Their conversation only skimmed the surface, never delving deeper into their personal lives.

When they were done eating, Akane insisted on taking care of the dishes. "You cooked lunch for us, so it s only fair that I help." Turning to her father, she said, "You going to help, daddy?"

Soun had a blank look for a moment. But, with the look that Akane was giving him, he realized belatedly what she was trying to do and hurriedly complied.

Once alone, the two felt an invisible weight lift off of them. Kasumi shot a shy smile to Ono.

He d thought of subjects to talk about. One had popped into his mind while walking to the dojo. "Why don t you tell me about your interest in the medical field? You ve borrowed many books from me about the subject."

Kasumi s eyes lit up, sending a shiver down his spine. The smile she directed at him melted his knees. If he hadn t been sitting down already, he d have collapsed in an instant. As she spoke, he became entranced in the movement of her lips. The sparkle in her eye as she talked about her desires drove him to distraction.

An hour passed as they talked about the medical profession. He enlightened her on some of the difficulties he d faced during his schooling, as well as a few of the accomplishments he d made.

For Kasumi, this conversation had been a release for her. It wasn t often that she was able to speak freely with anyone. Everyone looked to her to fix their problems, not considering the fact that she had her own desires. With Ono listening, she was able to express herself freely.

Their talk died down eventually.

"Would it be all right to bring you lunch tomorrow," Kasumi ventured.

The question surprised Ono. "W-why, yes. I d love that. If you would, call ahead of time so I can make arrangements." He needed time to take the medicine so that he d be coherent when Kasumi arrived. He remembered instances where she d brought some goodies and he d made a complete fool of himself. Such acts wouldn t be good at this point.

"Of course. What would you like me to make?"

Ono was in a bind. Everything Kasumi made was delicious. "Why don t you bring a surprise? Anything you bring will be sure to please me."

"Okay. May I ask you a question?" Ono nodded. "Why did you leave for so long?"

"Oh, ah " He blushed a little. "My mother was having problems and decided I should help her for a time. she thought the time that I was away would help me, too. I don t know exactly what she meant at the time. I still don t, either."

"I m glad you ve come back." She ran her fingers lightly along his bared arm, eliciting a shocking feeling.

"I enjoyed the meal and the talk. I must be going now, since I have a few more patients this afternoon." They stood, heading for the front door.

Kasumi, against her better judgment, decided to do something that she found daring. She d often ridiculed others of such behavior, but, now that she was in a similar situation, she now knew why they d done it. Being forward was not her way, but she saw that if she didn t take the first step, she may lose this battle.

Gathering courage, she stepped closer to the doctor. He fidgeted nervously as he felt her body pressing against him. Kasumi saw him freeze like a startled deer, not knowing what to do. Clasping her hands behind his back, she stood on her tiptoes. She pecked him on the cheek, feeling his clean-shaven jaw under her soft lips. She let go to see how devastating an effect she had on him. Ono was unable to control himself. The medicine he d taken had worn down enough that such an act was too much.

The poor fellow was last seen that day by Kasumi dancing away from the dojo, his glasses fogged over. She giggled to herself at what she d done and went back inside to clean.

When Ranma was finished with lunch and helping Toshi take the dishes into the kitchen, under her protests, he retired to the room he d been given. The room was spacious. There was even a real bed for his comfort, instead of a futon. He didn t know if he d be able to use it. After all, he d been sleeping so close to the ground for so long now, it was only natural for him to do so to this day. After a while, though, he found himself fidgeting too much. He couldn t think without working some steam off first. He had left home to do some training. So he would.

Changing into his gi and walking out, he tracked down Eisei-sensei to his garden. "Ya got someplace I can train a bit? I ve gotta think and I can t do it sittin around."

Eisei-sensei stood up from his pruning to face Ranma. He smiled, motioning for Ranma to follow him. They left the garden and went around the wall. Behind it was a path that led up a gentle rise to a hill.

What confronted Ranma would have a horde of kids scream in joy. Half of the training area was composed of various bar ensembles. It was a virtual jungle gym. There were posts of various heights sticking out of the ground and practice dummies. The other half was all open ground. The air above the hard-packed earth shimmered with the heat rising from it.

Ranma turned to his host. "Ya ain t got a real dojo?"

"I didn t see any reason in having one. You don t usually fight inside. Too much property damage for me. Besides, it s better to train out in the open, where you can experience all of the elements. You never know what kind of weather you have to fight in."

"Guess you re right."

Eisei-sensei took a seated position at the edge of the training field. Ranma, a little edgy at first for having an audience, went to the middle to work on a kata for relaxation. Meanwhile, Eisei-sensei used all of his trained senses to observe Ranma. After half an hour of cycling through one simple kata after another, he switched to the more complex sets.

The old man delighted in the fluid grace that Ranma exhibited. He knew the kata his prospective youth was performing and decided to join him.

Ranma didn t show any surprise when he was joined. His movements were mirrored to perfection. As they neared the end of the kata, he named the next to be performed. They shifted from one to the other gracefully and without pause, each in perfect unison. Ranma picked up the tempo, Eisei-sensei matching his pace.

When they finished, Ranma turned to Eisei-sensei and bowed. It was returned just as deeply.

"How about a sparring match," the old man challenged.

Normally, Ranma wouldn t fight somebody as old as Eisei-sensei appeared to be. After having been around Cologne and Happosai, however, his views had changed. "Sure, why not?"

They affected a familiar stance for each. Ranma stood relaxed, giving no indication of his intentions. Eisei-sensei bent slightly at the knees and raised his arms before him. It was a typical stance.

As by an unspoken command, they leapt at each other. They rained blows upon each other that would have destroyed a normal person. Yet, it only made them grunt with exertion. Neither were taking or giving ground as they leapt about.

During this time, Eisei-sensei was sizing Ranma up.

*His speed is remarkable, but I could help him get a little faster.* They traded a few more punches. Leaping away, they faced each other. Both were sweating lightly by this time. Ranma ran at his opponent, throwing a low kick. Eisei-sensei leapt, to be surprised by Ranma, who d used the kick to lure him up into the air.

The Saotome s midair combat skills were superb. As yet, Ranma had had a hard time finding anyone capable of matching him in his element.

Eisei-sensei wasn t as familiar with the aerial combat as Ranma, since he preferred keeping himself on the ground. That didn t, however, discount his natural abilities and lots of experience to adapt. With Ranma s skills, he was thrown to the ground. Landing lightly on his feet, he watched Ranma land not far from him. *Not bad. He s got some strong points. Let s see what else he can do.* He leapt horizontally at Ranma, flying past. On his way by, he grabbed Ranma by the arm and pulled him along.

Ranma followed along, bracing himself for an impact. He was thrown into the air before he could even touch the ground. From below, Eisei-sensei leapt straight up at him, his hands starting to blur as he built up speed. Flipping around, Ranma began his plummet towards the rising martial artist, beginning to work on his own speed.

The two met in midair, seemingly suspended for a moment. The fists flew between the combatants, an occasional hit scored on the other. Soon, though, Ranma counted more hitting him than him scoring on Eisei-sensei. Their time was up in the air and they fell to the earth, both landing lightly on their feet. They circled each other.

Ranma pounced, his form blurring as he whirled about, kicking. Eisei-sensei blocked what he could and dodged everything else. He was focused more on how fast and accurate Ranma was, rather than fighting back. Ranma noticed that he was being sized up by the detached way Eisei-sensei was fighting, or the lack thereof. He poured more skill into his moves.

Soon, Eisei-sensei was being hard-pressed. Mentally slapping himself for taking so long, he began his own attacks, seeing if he could work through Ranma s defenses. After trading blows, Ranma was thrown back from a powerful punch to the chest when his defenses had been thrown open.

Panting, he stood straight and bowed, admitting the defeat for this match. He didn t like doing it. But he d found somebody of noteworthy skill and had to acknowledge it. Besides, his prospective sensei wasn t trying to get him married off or take him out on a panty raid, so he wasn t all bad.

He looked to where the sun was descending from the sky. "How long we been fightin for?"

Eisei-sensei followed his gaze. His eyes widened slightly. "Uh My guess is about three hours, not counting the time we spent with the kata." *I haven t had this much fun in years!*

Ranma looked at Eisei-sensei out of the corner of his eye. *Man, the old guy can really hang, can t he. Maybe he can help me. I ll have to see what he wants in return, though. No fianc es an stuff, though.* He turned to the man he was considering as a sensei. "I wanna get a bath, if you don t mind." They d rolled on the ground just a few times during their bout.

"Sure. I was thinking the same thing. Why don t you go on ahead, though?"

Ranma did so, jogging lightly to the house. He entered, finding the place empty. Continuing to his room, he found his clothes washed and set out for him. He picked them up and headed for the bathroom. Stripping, he placed the gi into the hamper and set the change of clothes down. He started cleaning himself, the cold water changing him into a her. Rinsing herself off for the last time, a thought struck her and she started staring off into space. *If I decide to stay here, it s gonna be hard to keep my curse a secret. Don t want them thinkin I m some kinda freak or nothin , but still If I stay here, they re bound to find out sooner or later."

Her heart froze as she heard the door slide open. She d forgotten to put the Occupied sign out. There was no way she could get to the bath in time to change. She recognized the light tread of feet as being from a female. Seeing no alternative, she sat on the stool to await her doom.

Kuno Tatewaki stared at the television, not seeing the static. The phone, sitting beside him, pleaded to be hung up.

It was impossible. There was no way his Pigtailed Goddess and Saotome Ranma could be the same. It all had to be some kind of sick joke.

The problem was, everything Nabiki had provided had been hard evidence. There were the blatant changes from one gender to the other without the slightest pause during a conversation, the book, the medical files, and the phone call to Dr. Tofu s office to confirm his worst fears. Everything fit together too well. His subconscious told him that he d known the whole time but had denied it.

He remembered the first time he d ever met the his Pigtailed Goddess. Right now, he really wanted to be sick, but was in too much shock for even that. He d hounded Saotome since the moment he d met him. His familiarity with Tendo Akane was not to be excused at the time, eliciting his wrath. The cretin had been living under the same roof with his love. Such actions were of the perverse.

"No," he chided himself, "it was the parents of both that set them upon that path." They were under the orders of their fathers that they were to get to know each other and wed one day. There was nothing perverse in that. Many arranged marriages of yesteryears were likewise accomplished. Granted, today such things were nigh unheard of, but it has happened. Friends have wanted their families joined and had sought to have their children wed. It was commendable, yet rustic.

Much like his fantasies to be a samurai. His family was of the ancient line, but the Kuno family was now one of the decadently rich families. He was a product of such and he helped show that the Kuno family was now a hollow shell compared to its former glory.

His ire began to rise as he considered Saotome s actions to his fianc e. How he had abused the perfect flower that he had was inexcusable. Such was not gentlemanly. It was well known to all how Akane had attempted to teach him his error. Since she had failed, apparently, it fell to Kuno Tatewaki to take up the brand.

When next he met with Saotome, he would be prepared to give the younger man a thrashing.

This line of thought also led him to the fact that Saotome had deceived him countless times concerning his curse. It sickened Tatewaki that he d made his overtures to another man. Even if said man had a cursed form of a luscious woman.

He fell into the familiar lethargy of the her memory. She danced across the fields of his mind. Even now, her beauty captivated him. Though he now knew that the woman he loved was but a farce. The time he d taken his Pigtailed Goddess on a date when he had the Wishbringer. He left out the fact to himself that he d wished for a date with Saotome s female side. Such a thing was a triviality. Saotome had used his sick wiles to steal away the sword, he now saw. Using his cursed form in such a way was unforgivable.

Many times had Saotome used his evil ways to fool him. Never again. If he saw Saotome in either form, he knew that he would destroy the fiend. Standing tall with bokken raised, he said, "Yes, Saotome, prepare yourself. For I, Kuno Tatewaki, the undefeated Champion of Kendo, the Blue Thunder of Nerima, shall make you pay for your transgressions!" Elsewhere in Japan, a martial artist sneezed, wondering why he was doing so.

The sound of thunder was heard throughout the Nerima district.

Toshi came in. She stopped and stared at Ranma-onna for a moment. It didn t last long, though. "Who are you and what are you doing in here!" Her demand rang through the house. She clutched her towel to herself, having not expected anybody in the house. Eisei-sensei and his guest were still at the training field, as far as she knew. She d wanted to get a little privacy and have a bath before they came back. Why was there a redhead in here?

Ranma-onna s eyes, by now, were shut tightly. She tried to even out her breathing. She was caught. There was no turning back now. "Uh I m Ranma. You mind stepping out for a moment, please? I can explain in just a moment. Oh, give me my clothes, too, please."

Toshi was still fired up, but did as asked. When Ranma-onna had her clothes, she stepped into the bath, changing back. Drying off quickly, he stepped out to find Toshi more presentable. She d taken the cue from Ranma and had dressed. When a male Ranma came walking out where there had only been a redheaded girl before, she couldn t take anymore of a shock.

She promptly did the only thing she could do at the moment.

She fainted.

"Ah, man. It couldn t get any worse. She s just as bad as Mr. Tendo." He picked her up and carried her to the family room, laying her on the couch. Walking into the kitchen, he found the items needed for tea and began his preparations. He also got a cloth and ran it under cold water, making sure he didn t get changed. When everything was ready, he walked back into where he d left Toshi, finding her still unconscious.

He lay the cloth on her forehead. There was a noise behind him. Turning, he found the concerned frown on Eisei-sensei s face.

"Is there something wrong," he asked.

"Not really. She just had a shock and fainted. When she wakes up, I ll explain." After a moment, Toshi started to stir.

"W-where am I?" Looking up, she found Ranma hovering over her. She cringed away from him, making a sign to ward off evil.

Eisei-sensei noted her distress and kept silent, since Ranma had said that he d explain. Seating himself, he waited for Ranma to begin his tale.

"Uh, sorry about the scare earlier, Toshi-san. I wasn t expecting you to come in when you did."

She sat up, pulling the cloth from her forehead. She gripped it tightly, as if it were a lifeline. Ranma had a lot of explaining to do in order for her to not wring his neck as she was wringing the cloth.

Noting her expression, he pressed on. "Ya see, just over two years ago, Oyaji and I went to China. He picked up somethin about a training ground. Well, since he didn t read Chinese, he didn t know that they were cursed. When we got there, the Guide tried warning us. His Japanese wasn t too good, so we just ignored him and decided to fight. I got a lucky hit on Oyaji and he fell into a pool. What came out from where he d landed was a giant panda. I was surprised and started asking the Guide for an explanation. Oyaji hit me into another pool while I was distracted. Needless to say, I fell into one that changed me into a girl."

The story wasn t good enough for Toshi, which Ranma saw. He started backing away from her.

They both turned to the old man who was guffawing not too far from them. Toshi stared at Eisei-sensei. How could he laugh at such an absurd story? Was he amused at the blatant lie?

Eisei-sensei got control of himself. "You idiots went to Jusenkyo without knowing what it was?"

"Uh, yeah." Ranma really didn t appreciate being called an idiot. "It was Oyaji s idea. I was only following along with him at the time. We didn t know that Jusenkyo was really cursed, so we decided to train there. How should we have known?"

"Well, it s said that only those that have been selected will go there to get their curse. Why don t you go get some water and let me see what your alternate form looks like."

Ranma frowned. Eisei-sensei had better not have the slightest inclination towards him like Happosai, or he d be out of the house before the old man could draw breath. Getting up, he went into the kitchen and fetched a cup of cold water. He pulled the kettle he d put on earlier for this demonstration off of the stove and walked into the family room with both containers of liquid.

"Well, here goes." He poured the cold water over his head, changing instantly.

Toshi s reaction was to cringe further away from Ranma. Eisei-sensei, however, had a thoughtful frown.

"That s not half bad," he commented, walking around Ranma-onna.

"What, you some kind of lech, too?" Ranma-onna didn t like the ogling that she was getting.

"Oh, no. I m not like Happosai or anybody of that deranged mindset. I was commenting on how your form still shows the signs of your training. You ve fought in this form many time before, have you not?"

"Yeah. There ve been times I was stuck in this form and had to fight so I could get changed back."

"Really. How good is your current form?"

"Well, for one, I m faster like this. Not as strong, but the speed makes up for it sometimes. I found that out soon after I got cursed. The only problem is, I don t have the reach that I normally have as a guy. Kinda sucks."

"Do you consider your condition as either a curse or a benefit?"

*A benefit?* "Uh A curse. The place isn t called the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo for no reason, you know."

Toshi finally came out of her shocked state, saying, "Don t be giving him any ideas. He s bad enough as it is. He probably flaunts himself as a girl and gets off on it. He might even like guys."

The other two looked at her. She shrank from their gazes. Ranma-onna s was full of anger, whereas Eisei-sensei s was reproving. Both didn t look very good on either of them, since they were being directed at her.

"For your information, I don t like guys. I hate having this body, and always have. You don t know how many times I ve tried finding a cure, only to lose every time. It s ruined everything." Her voice dropped off sullenly.

Eisei-sensei began to see where the disturbance in Ranma-onna s ki was coming from. She didn t appear to have come to terms with herself, even after all this time of having this condition. This may be one of the things that his friend wanted him to overcome. He d have to ask about that when next they met. "Is there anything you can do when you re a female that you can t as a male?"

Ranma-onna smiled. "Yep. I can get more ice cream." Seeing their dumbfounded faces, she burst out laughing. "No. Not really. As I said, I m only faster and have a shorter reach. Other than that, my fighting abilities are the same."

"Nagasawa said that you don t like hitting girls. Is that true?"

"Yeah. They re weaker, so I don t " She saw that Toshi was getting mad at her chauvinistic views and trailed off. "That s what Oyaji taught me."

Eisei-sensei saw the by-play between the two and pressed further. The conversation that he d had with Nagasawa-sensei about Ranma and what information he d gleaned about the young man during his short stay came back to him. "Do you like it when somebody takes it easy on you when you re in this form?"

"No way. I m a guy. I can take anything thrown at me." What was the old man getting at?

"Guess I ll have to remedy your less-than-adequate views." He looked pointedly at Toshi, saying, "And I know just the person to help you with that." He d taught her a little during her stay at his domicile these past few years and could handle it, he hoped. His eyes gleamed evilly. It d also teach her a little humility, which she was lacking in great amounts.

The poor girl shrank further into the couch. She could already feel the pain coming.

Ranma-onna was fed up with staying in her present form and reached for the kettle. She found the other two staring at her intently, wanting to watch the transformation. It was a novelty for them. "I m not some kinda side show, ya know." Ignoring their stares, she poured the water over her head. "I m goin to my room. Call me when dinner s ready." He left them to their own thoughts.

Toshi heard Eisei-sensei mutter under his breath. "I really got my hands full with this one. Why me," he lamented, chuckling to himself, as he left. Toshi sat there, contemplating the turn of events.

*Life here is going to be even more interesting.*

Dr. Tofu sat in his office. He felt like an utter fool. He was a martial artist and a doctor. There had to be something that would allow him to accomplish what he wanted without administering medicine to himself. There just had to be.

His eyes roamed the room in which he sat. There were books discussing this medical condition or that, yet none expounded upon the matters of the heart. He needed help. A friend had tried to, but that avenue of approach could only be used in matters of utmost emergency.

The picture of his father caught his eye. *How would he deal with this?* Dr. Tofu couldn t ask him, since he d passed out of this world some time ago, but *Couldn t ask Mother. She s tried so hard to get me married. If she caught wind of this, she d be here tomorrow with a marriage contract ready and waiting.* It sounded all too familiar. Ranma and Akane s parents had meddled in their lives so many times that they d driven them apart. From what he d seen, they d never get back together without a miracle landing in their laps.

Standing, he started perusing the shelves. Many were about herbs or points of the body that would help cure the mind and body. None seemed to hold any information about emotions and how they affected the body. His library wasn t as extensive as his father s. That one was twice as large.

"That s it," he exclaimed. Going to his desk, he opened a drawer and found the list he was looking for.

It was a list of all of his father s books. Every copy he had in his office in Nerima was a copy of one of his father s. If he went to look in his father s library, he might even find something that would help him.

Walking out, he found his aide speaking with a patient, setting up an appointment. He addressed her, "I will be gone for three days. Make the arrangements to reschedule my appointments for this. I have to deal with something."

She nodded to him, beginning her orders with the man in front of her.

That done, he went to his place and started packing a light travel bag. With a quick call to his mother, saying that he d be there in a few hours, he took off for the train station.

Ukyo sighed as the auditor made his way out of her restaurant. She d been caught several days ago as she was out the door on her way to the train station. A rival had disliked her business. That s why they d used their connections and had sent this guy to do a thorough check of her restaurant, leaving nothing untouched. She d find out who d done it and make them pay for the inconvenience.

The auditor had called in some specialists to check the cleanliness, safety, and anything else they could think of. That had taken a couple of days to arrange, all the while leaving her fretting at the lost time.

Then he d checked her finances, citing that she d been getting over somehow by not paying her employee as was required. After a lot of discussions and hair pulling, she d managed to get him off of her back concerning Konatsu. Walking upstairs, she went to bed. She had a train to catch in the morning.

The alarm brought her out of her pleasant sleep. Reaching over, she shut if off, standing blearily. It didn t take her long to get cleaned up and ready for her trip. She was on the train to Osaka in no time.

The bullet train stopped at the station she was getting off at. It had taken a good portion of the day, since there were a lot of stops in between the two cities. It let her mull over what she d say when she saw her father again. Picking up her baggage, she headed out to her father s home. She hadn t lived there for years, so she didn t consider it as a home for herself. When last she d spoken with her father, they d parted with bitter words. Ukyo hoped that her arrival would be of a more congenial air.

The trip from the train station to her father s home took a while. It sat near the edge of Osaka, away from the train station. The bus route was a convenience, since it brought her near her destination, but it still took her quite a bit of time. She stepped off of the bus, heading further down the street. Rounding the last corner, she saw the house she d lived in at one time at the end of the lane. Her heart fluttered again, not relishing the thought of seeing her father, but hoped against hope that they would mend their relationship. He was expecting a son, not a daughter, which didn t bode too well for her.

Shrugging, she continued on. When she reached her destination, she paused for a moment before knocking on the door.

The door was answered by a burly man with a large beard. Not many Japanese men wore a beard and could get away with it. On him, however, it seemed to fit. His hair was grayer than last she d seen, the light streaks at temple and on his beard more pronounced. Where his skin peeked out of the mass of hair was weathered, the tan darkening his features almost to the point of making his face invisible.

The man stared at Ukyo for a moment before recognition dawned on him of who stood before him. She was dressed in a skirt and blouse. He hadn t seen her in anything but men s clothing since she had decided to seek revenge on the Saotome family. Without saying a word, he stepped out of her way, beckoning her inside. He never bothered to offer any help to carry her bags for her.

She took what she was carrying to her old room, finding it empty of anything she may have left those many years ago. There was only an old dresser and a bed. She dropped her bags in the room, heading back downstairs.

"So, did you fulfill your promise," her father asked. Since she was now dressing appropriately for her gender, it was only a formality.

"I beat Genma," was her only answer.

"What about his son, Ranma? Surely you met him and defeated him in combat." His voice held a hint of menace.

She heard it and tried to alleviate the tension. "I don t want to talk about them. I came back to see you."

He grunted. If she wanted to pussyfoot around the subject, he wouldn t pressure. He d get his answers when the time was right. "Have you been working on your cooking skills? You were doing pretty well when you left last."

"Yeah. I have my own restaurant in Nerima. It s doing pretty well. I m thinking of selling it for now so I can go to college. I ll probably major in Culinary Arts and Business."

"Commendable. Are you going to cook more than okonomiyaki?" It was the family s source of income for several generations. If she were to expand, it might deter their long-standing specialty.

"I doubt it. It does pretty well on its own. I keep finding new sauces and the customers seem to like it. My restaurant became a favorite almost overnight when I set up shop."

"It s good to hear that. I d thought of settling down at one time to have a stationary restaurant when I was younger, but I liked the road too much. That s why I kept the family yatai for all those years."

Ukyo knew he was trying to bait her into revealing her actions concerning the Saotomes, but would have none of that. "Where have you been working in the meantime? Last time I saw you, you were working over at Itsui s," she said, changing the tide of the conversation from her to her father.

"I m still working there. I moved up to general manager of his place not too long ago." Looking up at the clock, he found that it was nearing dinnertime. "Why don t you sit back while I get dinner ready? What do you want for tonight?"

Though she liked okonomiyaki and made it well, she preferred not to eat the stuff all the time. Her father was the same way, even if he was obsessive about the family specializing in it. "How about some tempura? I haven t had some lately, so it d be a nice change.

"Hmm. Okay. I ll have some ready here shortly." He went into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Meanwhile, Ukyo decided that she d take a look at the rest of the house. Wandering around, she found little in the way of decorations. Several pictures of her mother were hung up. There were only two of her when she was small, none depicting her when she was getting older. That was a change. Before she d left, her father had hung pictures of her where they d traveled until he d started working for Itsui and she d become more involved in her quest in searching for the Saotomes.

It was obvious to Ukyo that her father had taken their last encounter very harshly. He seemed to have opted for the denial approach, rather than confront the problem that he d helped start. If she was to get her family problems settled, she d have to confront her father about what had happened all those years ago. If he accepted her as his daughter rather than as a son, she d have come a long way.

The fight that they d had before had revolved around the same problem. He d told her not to come back without having satisfied the family honor. Now that he d raised her all these years as a boy, it was her responsibility to exact revenge.

She snorted to herself at the thought. He was the one who got her engaged to Ranma and allowed his father to run off with their yatai. It should have been him that took the responsibility of seeing that justice was done.

Wandering into the dining room, she found that dinner was being set out. Her father looked at her with an unreadable expression. His eyes were duller than when she d last seen him, she noted. It seemed that his dishonor was wearing him down. She had sympathy for him. He shouldn t have been so na ve when it came to the proposal just over twelve years ago.

When everything was in place, she sat down and ate with her father. Their conversation revolved around how their respective work was going. Her business, his job. She hadn t come here to talk shop, really. Finishing their meal, they cleared the table and started cleaning up after themselves.

After everything was done, they retired to the family room once more.

Ukyo could feel the room grow more tense. It seemed that there was going to be a confrontation that she couldn t avoid approaching. Sitting on the edge of her seat, she prepared herself and looked at her father.

He didn t disappoint her. "Now, about Ranma. What did you do to gain our family s honor back?"

There was no way for her to avoid this dilemma besides telling the truth. "I didn t do anything."

It was obvious that he didn t like the answer. His face reddened, his eyes narrowed. Motioning her to continue, he placed his hands on his knees, his fists clenching.

*This isn t going to be fun,* Ukyo thought to herself. "When I finally found them, I challenged Genma and beat him. I then found Ranma and challenged him, too. The problem was, he beat me." Her father s nostrils flared. "He s never been beaten. He might have lost a fight because of a surprise, but he always came back and defeated his opponent. I never had a chance. He s too good at martial arts."

"What did you do after that, then?" Losing because he was a good martial artist was no excuse for failure.

"Well, it seemed that he didn t know that I was actually a girl and had thought of me as only a friend when we were younger. When he did find out that I was a girl, he he said that I was cute and "

The tension grew more palpable. "And you grew weak in the moment where you should have beaten him," her father finished for her. She jerked back, as if slapped. "So, what you re telling me is that you let him dishonor you twice over. What did you do after he found out you were a girl?" His accusing eyes bore into her.

"I I renewed our engagement."

He seemed to relax at this. "Are you here now to tell me that the dowry given has now been fully accepted and you are to marry him?" His tone was skeptical, as if he knew that his question would be answered negatively.

There was nothing she could do to assuage his doubt. "No. He was engaged to Tendo Akane. After about a year and a half of trying to win him, he broke off all of the engagements but the one with her, saying that hers was the most binding, even with the stolen yatai. He said that I had to take it up with his father. The only problem is, he doesn t seem to want to do anything about it."

"Not twice, but three times dishonored," he asked, in disbelief. "And you have the gall to come back here after this? First, the yatai is stolen and you swear vengeance. Then you fight him and lose. After that, you renew the engagement, only to be thrown aside. You re despicable."

Ukyo didn t know what to say to the accusations. She d expected disapproval, but this Confusion turned to anger. *How dare he accuse me, as if it s all my fault?*

He wasn t finished with his spiel, however. The injustice of what had happened to him all those years ago had made a boil on his pride, wearing him down. A target was right here in front of him, allowing release. And release he would get, without regard to whom it was. "No father would want you as either a son or daughter. One dishonor after another. I m ashamed to have fathered such a worthless child. I should have drowned OOOMPH!"

His ranting was cut off by a roundhouse punch. Ukyo stood above her father, looking down on his prone figure. She d had enough of the one-sided guilt trip. "You knew that Ranma was engaged when you offered my hand in marriage. Then you decided to offer the yatai to bribe Genma. When he said that the promises were meant to be broke should have made you realize what he really was. But you didn t. Or is it that you wanted to get rid of me from the start? You have no right in accusing me of being a worthless child! You d have sent me off with another man to who-knew-where. What would you have done in the meantime? Find some other woman to knock up?"

Her father wilted under the verbal assault. She d had the audacity to strike her own flesh and blood, shocking him beyond belief. The sharp kick to his ribs kept him quiet, too, as he tried vainly to get a word in edgewise as he tried to catch his breath.

"You have no right in blaming me in failing. It wasn t me who sold their daughter to a stranger, only to find that you had me on your hands still. Then you made me feel guilty about it all, saying that I should be the one to bring back honor to the Kounji family. And, in order to do that, I had to be a son for you, not the daughter that I really am. How could you?"

His advancing years seemed to press down on him as each accusation struck home. Under her assault, he could not seem to find a proper answer.

"Since you said that I m not worthy to be even a daughter or son, then I won t be either to you. You needn t worry about me ever again. This is the last time you ever see me. Good-bye." She left him lying on the floor, racing to the room where she d left her bags. Grabbing them, she headed for the exit.

Her father was still on the floor, even if he was sitting up. When she looked at him, he avoided her gaze. As he sat there, realization slowly dawned on him where he d gone wrong. Instead of having nurtured the feelings of guilt and revenge in his daughter, he should have moved on and built a better life for her. It was too late now, however. He didn t have a daughter anymore. For some strange reason, he couldn t find the energy to cry. He d died inside many years ago. Probably about the time his dear wife had. That s why he d tried to pawn off his daughter so many years ago. She was a reminder of the woman he d loved and had sought to get rid of the one thing that reminded him of her.

Ukyo ran halfway to the train station before slowing. It was still light out. No tears came to her, either. She knew that there could be something salvaged from this. She d lived many years on her own. There were plenty of reasons to live. She had Ranma, even if he was only a friend. When he came back to his mother s, she d find him and see if he could help her out. She was sure he d think of something. Her heart lifted at the thought.

She resumed her earlier pace and ran to the train station, in order to catch one going back to Tokyo. 


	5. Chapter 5

The characters from the Ranma by Rumiko Takahashi are used without license. This story is not for commercial use. It s just for the enjoyment of those who like to read the alternatives for the Ranma universe. Also, the lyrics to the songs I ve selected are by the respective artists. No copyright infringements intended.  
>Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts ~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese *~* signifies Mandarin thoughts<p>LIVING LIFE ANEW<p>

CHAPTER V

CONTEMPLATION

Nabiki sat in her room, idly flipping the beads on her abacus. Their clicking sound was familiar, soothing her mood. She was thinking of how Ranma had been able to get to her during their meeting not so long ago. It d been her intent to dredge information out of him. It had turned, however, when he d suddenly bested her for the first time, giving her no information to work with in her favor. But there had been something there that had edged his words. She d contemplated it since she d been to the Saotome residence.

It sounded similar to when she heard the rare mention of Ranma from Akane. More like longing. Or sadness. She knew that her sister wasn t ready for the marriage, so she d postponed it the best way she could. It d worked out. Ranma didn t have any fianc es afterwards, at least. What was the problem? Why hadn t they made up and gotten together as everybody had been expecting, even her?

Nabiki wasn t thrilled about having Ranma as a brother-in-law, but that was besides the point. Ever since he d come, he d been a constant threat to the little world that the Tendos had made for themselves. It was a welcome respite for a time, but had grown to be too outrageous after a time. Why was she trying to get them back together, then?

*Because little sister cares about him, even if she doesn t want to admit it, even to herself.* Whenever the two had a few moments to themselves without the other fianc es showing up, they relaxed. As much as they could, anyway. It was their pride that kept them from doing anything other than insulting each other.

She heard the telephone ring, suddenly cut off during the second ring as someone picked it up. A moment later, Kasumi came up to her room and knocked. Cracking the door open, she popped her head in. "You have a call, Nabiki. It s Noriko. She says that she wants to talk to you," she informed her younger sister. Her duty done, she went back to what she d been doing before.

Sliding off of her bed, Nabiki went to talk with her informant. "What have you got me this time, Noriko?"

"I spotted Kounji Ukyo back at her restaurant. Thought you d like to know, since she was supposed to have left several days ago to go to her father s."

An idea popped into Nabiki s head. "Thanks. I won t be home for a while, so you can get ahold of me by my beeper if you need to. Bye," she said, hanging up.

Cupping her elbow in one hand and tapping her chin with her other, a low "Hmmm" could be heard from her. With Ukyo back so early, she could talk to her sooner than she d hoped. Deciding that now was a good time, she headed over to Ucchan s.

When she arrived, the restaurant was closed for business. This didn t deter Nabiki, however, since she knew that Ukyo would answer the door anyway. Knocking, she waited for a moment. She heard a thumping sound from upstairs. Knocking again, harder this time, she waited some more. This time, she was rewarded with Ukyo trudging down the steps to answer the door. Her scowl deepened when she saw who it was that wanted entrance.

"What do you want," asked Ukyo in a sullen voice. Nabiki saw that there were bags under Ukyo s eyes, as well as them being bloodshot. It looked like she d been crying. It would probably be diplomatic to be polite in this venture, she concluded.

"Oh, I just thought to stop by and have a little chat, is all," was her answer.

Ukyo knew better than that. Nabiki didn t make idle social calls. Whenever she was seen, it was for her own profit. "There s nothing to talk about. I don t need anything. And, as far as I m concerned, there s nothing for me to pay you for. Besides, I sent my last payment for the damages to the dojo last month. So I don t owe you anything in that regard." At least, she didn t think so.

"You re caught up. For now. I just came over to see if we could talk about Ranma."

Ukyo was taken aback, to say the least. "What do you need to know about Ranchan?" She should have known, however. Almost everything in Nerima tended to revolve around him in one way or another. At least, when it concerned the Tendos and herself.

Nabiki didn t like having to gather information this way. It wasn t her style. Finding out secrets from the shadows to exploit them was one thing. To get what she needed at the moment, because she had been away, she needed a more direct approach. They still hadn t invented a mind reading device, so that wasn t an option. "He s seemed changed since he came back from Mount Phoenix. Since you were one of his fianc es and everything, I just thought you might know something about it."

"What do you care?" It was said with only a hint of sarcasm and malice. Nabiki had never cared about Ranma s well being unless it meant her profit margin would decrease if he were too badly injured.

"Look, he and Akane broke up and I just want to get to the bottom as to why exactly. There re a lot of pieces missing and I think you know a little about it. Besides, you still have a few minor debts to pay off and I m willing to waive them if you talk a little." It was better to have an incentive in order to get what she wanted.

Ukyo thought it over for a moment. If she did have some debts she didn t recall, it wouldn t hurt to get rid of them by just talking. Though, of course, if she didn t and Nabiki was only strong-arming her "Ah, what the hell." Stepping aside, she let the mercenary inside. "I ll be back in a minute." She left, entering the kitchen, returning with two cups and a teakettle. Placing the cups on the table that Nabiki had chosen, she poured each of them some tea. She fired up one portion of the grill and pulled out a container of okonomiyaki sauce. When she was done making a plate for each of them, she quickly cleaned up and set everything on the table. Seating herself across from Nabiki, she asked, "So, what exactly do you want to know?"

"For one, when did Ranma get to be smart?" Her info had said that he d raised his grades shortly after returning, indicating that he d started applying himself for once. She started to eat while she listened to Ukyo.

Ukyo knew what she was talking about, considering she d talked to Ranma about it. "Well, he just treated school like he would martial arts." The raised eyebrow from Nabiki indicated that she didn t understand fully. "What I mean is, Ranchan just started applying the ability he has to learning martial arts to school. He said it was some sort of meditation that he does. Opening himself to his surroundings or something like that. I don t know how exactly he does it, but it seemed to work."

"I see," Nabiki said, even though she didn t. She d never had to meditate , as it were, to get by in school. "Did Ranma tell you anything about the fight he had with Akane?"

Ukyo shifted uncomfortably. He d told her in secret. How could she deny him that little shred of decency?

Seeing that her question was touchy, Nabiki said, "I know the general gist of the whole thing. I just need it fleshed out. Since you re a friend of his, I thought you d have a little more knowledge about what happened. If I guessed right, he told you about that night. Am I right?"

Ukyo nodded. "Yeah," she said, "he did. When I saw him last at the prom, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. It s not very often that they ve had that sort of thing happen for them. I didn t want to spoil it that night. He is a friend, after all," she said, bitterness coating her words, even after all this time.

"But ," Nabiki prompted after the pause in the story had lengthened considerably. She took another bite of her free meal.

"Then they went to the park and that s when everything went down the drain. He told me that all he said to her was that he was going to college. Said it was right next to hers, too." Nabiki already knew where the two were going to be going to college at. "For no apparent reason, though, Akane just blew up on him. She called him a few choice names, like usual, and pushed him into the water. He never had a chance. All she did was blow up on him. When he got home, his father accused him of trying to molest her."

Nabiki s eyes narrowed. She hadn t heard about that one. If anything, Ranma held honor above all else and such an act would be the opposite of who he was, contrary to most accusations. "What did he do to his father?"

"Knocked him out. I should have finished him off when I could. Everybody knows how Ranchan is. He d cut off body parts if he thought it d help keep his honor. Something like that is just Well, anyway, after he beat up his father, he went upstairs to pack and was pounced on by Akane. When all was said and done, he d left the dojo for good. He went to Dr. Tofu s and, when school was out, he went to live with his mother for a little while."

There was a pregnant pause as Nabiki digested the information. The new information fit into the story. She knew about the fight upstairs from Kasumi, who she d finally dragged the information out of. *No, not dragged. Cajoled.* She d been reluctant to speak about what she d seen, but had finally confided in Nabiki. "None of that really explains Ranma s attitude change shortly after the everybody came back from Mount Phoenix."

Ukyo s lips twisted into a mockery of a smile. "Killing someone does that to you sometimes."

It had the desired effect. Nabiki was floored, desperately trying to think of whom Ranma might have killed. No names came up. Was there something that Ranma was hiding from everybody except for a select few?

"Well, he never died, but it s still the same." Ukyo s words brought Nabiki back from her mental search. "Ranchan didn t know that Saffron would come back as an egg at the time, so it still had the same effect on him."

"What do you mean by that? Ranma s a martial artist. He must have thought that killing somebody would come up eventually. He s been attacked so many times and his life threatened that he should be used to something like that." Finishing her meal as Ukyo talked, she listened closely.

The look Ukyo gave her told her that she was far from the truth. "Yeah, he s a martial artist. Did you ever see him go all out on anybody before? What I mean is, have you ever seen him try to do any permanent damage to anybody?"

"Sure. There s Ryoga, Mousse, Happosai, Toma The list goes on, you know."

"No, I don t know. He s always held back, even if they haven t. Ranchan s not a killer, usually. He s trained in the martial arts and all, but it was only a means to an end. Ranchan only wanted to be the best. That didn t involve going out and killing any and all enemies he s come across. Actually, he s one of the most forgiving guys I ve ever met. How many people do you know would have put up with even half of what he s had to without snapping?"

It was food for thought. Ranma was known for forgiving and forgetting, at least on most subjects.

"There s only one reason why he attacked Saffron full out. And that was for Akane. He gave up something precious for her, only to be rejected." Ukyo sat back, looking into her teacup.

Nabiki took the bait, asking, "And what was that?"

Ukyo looked at Nabiki with steely eyes. It wasn t, perhaps, the smartest thing to do, but she had a point to make. "His innocence. Ranchan s been through some tough training, but he d never killed anyone up until then. It changed him. Do you know that he still has nightmares about that day?"

Ranma s nightmares were usually brushed off by everybody. They only seemed to happen every once in a while, not bothering the household often. The occasional scream from him in the middle of the night wasn t unknown, since his dreams were so vivid. It had been explained that he was more one with himself than most people and had more of a touch to his dreams as a result, as explained by Dr. Tofu after the first several incidents. But to have nightmares after all this time?

"Yeah, he still wakes up sweating and screaming. And the one he did it for just treated him like yesterday s garbage. He s a friend, a fianc e until not too long ago, and it hurts to see him treated like that by that that guttersnipe."

Nabiki s eyes narrowed. That was her sister that Ukyo was talking about. The recipient of the glare felt the temperature go down a few degrees.

"Sorry," she apologized, "but thinking about it all just gets me riled up. He s done so much for her since he met her. Saving her, killing for her, even choosing her after all the choices he had for fianc es. It would ve been nice if he picked me, but I know what he s talking about. He made me see it not too long ago. By the way, why is it you re askin about Ranchan? You trying to blackmail him or something?"

Nabiki eyed Ukyo for a moment, debating whether or not to let her in on her plans. It would be a benefit if she had Ukyo help her get the two back together, if she could. "Well, I was thinking that the two really deserve each other. Considering, of course, what the two of them have gone through the past couple of years."

It was Nabiki s turn to feel the temperature go down. "I don t think Akane really deserves Ranchan after the way she d treated him since they met. If anything, Ranchan deserves to have her after all the sacrifices he s made on her behalf. Kinda like a consolation prize, you know? He did choose her, after all, but he never even got that. Nobody s ever considered what he s wanted from the start, even me. When he did finally choose, that was taken away from him, too. No, I m not going to help you, if that s what you re planning. I d just leave them alone, if I were you. Ranchan s been through enough without you messing with him anymore."

Ukyo s convictions seemed reinforced. Seeing that she couldn t be persuaded to help, there was nothing else here that Nabiki could do. Taking a huge step, she said, "Thanks." It was genuine, Ukyo saw, as Nabiki intended. "You said more than you wanted, I know, and I appreciate that. It s just that I want to see my sister happy and all. After Ranma s left, she s been I don t know. Lost or something, I guess. Our parents were pushy from the start, not allowing them any breathing space. That just drove them to hiding their feelings about each other, even to themselves." Ukyo instinctively understood the need the Tendo daughter had at the moment, so she paid full attention to her words.

"I didn t help much, either. When Ranma came into our lives, things got shook up and I only thought of him as a way to get money. All I saw in Ranma was an insensitive jerk, as Akane so aptly put it at the time, who was ruining my little sister s life. After seeing what he s done for her, though, I began to realize that they did care for each other. But I saw that them getting married too soon was a big mistake. I didn t know that it d drive them apart like it has. It s just I I want what s best for my family. I always have. That s why I m trying to see what I can do to patch things up, if even I can. Since Ranma came, he s slowly became part of the family. Even after I treated him the way I did and all, he sort of grew on all of us.

"No money is involved, but it s a family thing. I feel a little responsible about some of this, so I " Nabiki snapped her mouth shut. She felt that she was talking too much. "I should be going. Thanks for the information." Standing, she headed for the door, turning at Ukyo s voice.

"Nabiki. If you ever need somebody to talk to You know who to talk to. I know how it is sometimes being alone and all. I ve had some practice."

Nabiki nodded. Nobody had offered her something of that import. Information was to be sold, not given freely. Sometimes, though, she knew, it was good to get things off of one s chest. "Um Thanks." Feeling a little better, she left. A thought crossed her path, making her eyes gleam. *If I can get them back together again, they re going to owe me big time. Family interest rates, of course.* What she d learned so far made the okonomiyaki seem to weigh her down. It wasn t often that she took personal interest in information. But this was not the case in this endeavor.

She didn t know where it had become almost a mission to see that her sisters were happily married, or simply happy, for that matter. Was it some inner demon prodding her to do something right for once? Or maybe that she saw that it was a chance to even the negative score she d accrued while exploiting others. Ranma had paid his room and board with pictures and information, even if unwittingly. But it was to keep the family from totally going destitute from freeloaders that wrecked the dojo more often than not. Actually, it wasn t Ranma who punched himself through walls or brought the challenges inside. But they were his other fianc es and his rivals that did all that. He had a responsibility to keep it away, even if it was occasionally entertaining.

Either it was time to leave things as they were and see how they festered, or it was her turn to see if she could right some wrongs done others. Being a do-gooder wasn t her forte, but this one time might be an exception. It lightened the load on her shoulders, as well as in her stomach, now that she d figured out that she may be able to have a leading role in something that may be worthwhile.

Ukyo sat in the booth, looking outside and watching Nabiki walking down the street. The sky was a faint blue. It seemed to say to her that things weren t always that bad. When even the most reticent people changed, it showed that the world would continue on. Heaving a great sigh, Ukyo stood and carried the teapot, plates, and cups into the kitchen and headed upstairs. She had a restaurant to open in the next day. It would take her mind off of her problems, as well as bring in the money she needed to survive.

She d lived this long without anybody else. Surviving a little longer on her own wouldn t be too hard.

Ryoga walked along the trail in the woods, seeing nothing but the dense underbrush and the large trees that surrounded him, their upper branches choking off the light from above. He d been traveling for quite some time. Ever since he d left home, as a matter of fact. He d become lost as soon as he d left the house, wandering all over Japan, as luck had it. He knew he was still in Japan because of the flora.

Following the path as best as he could, he ended up coming out into a clearing. Looking about, he saw a quaint house with a set of fences set off to one side. Glad to have found some sort of civilization, he trudged to the house. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the place looked vaguely familiar. As he neared the pens, he heard the faint squeals of pigs. He knew where he was.

With at whoop and a skip in his step, he picked up the pace. Circling around the house, he came to the front door where he proceeded to knock on it. No answer came.

"RYOGA-SAMA," came from behind him in a shout.

Hearing somebody cry his name, he turned. He was suddenly bowled over by a bundle of flesh in a pink dress. Akari wasn t able to contain herself and allowed herself to rain kisses on his astonished face. When he was finally able to gain some form of control of his motor skills, he stood, holding Akari in his arms. He weathered the storm of her enthusiasm, grateful to have found her. Somehow, he managed to avoid a nosebleed with all the soft flesh rubbing against him. He still wasn t able to remain mentally intact with all the attention he was getting.

"A-akari? Um It s nice to see you, too," he managed finally.

Satisfied that she d expressed herself, Akari looked up into Ryoga s eyes, melting his heart with the look only girls in love could manage to their intended. "I m so glad you came back. I was beginning to think you didn t love me anymore." His face became a caricature of pain. "But I see that you still do. Why don t you come in and I ll make you some tea."

Allowing her to stand on her own, she led him into the house and into the dining room where he sat down. Entering the kitchen, she set a kettle to boil and began preparing the tea. She heard him settling down with a great sigh. With a contented sigh of her own, she waited patiently for the water to warm.

When the water was heated, she went out to find Ryoga sitting with half-lidded eyes and holding his head in one hand, elbow propped on the table. It appeared that he was exhausted from his constant traveling. Sitting next to him, she poured tea for the both of them. He took it and drank some, allowing the sweet brew to slide down his throat. She gave in to the urge and sidled up to him, managing to worm her way in under his arm just where she seemed to fit perfectly.

"How long do you think you ll be able to stay this time," she asked, knowing full well it was a rhetorical question. Nobody ever knew how long Ryoga would be able to stay in one place.

Ryoga, by this time, was quite aware of his surroundings. Most especially the young woman that was pressing up against him. His nose threatened to burst with blood and loss of consciousness.

"I don t know." Something tickled the edge of his thoughts. He s wanted to talk to Akari about something. Something that was vitally important about their relationship. It eluded him for the time being.

"That s all right. You can stay here as long as you want." However long he stayed wasn t a problem, as long he was here for her now. "You seem to be pretty tired. How long have you been wandering, anyways?"

"I don t know how long. I could swear I passed through Okinawa last week. Or was that Hokkaido? I don t know." Seeing as he never knew where he was or had been, he let it pass without further speculation.

"Well, you re here with me now. Why don t you get some rest and I ll get you something to eat? How does that sound?"

"I wouldn t want to impose," he hedged.

"Oh, nonsense. You re my fianc e. I m supposed to take care of you." Ryoga nodded inanely, trusting to her logic rather than his own. "Give me a moment."

She rubbed up against him some more before, reluctantly, detaching herself and heading into a spare room to prepare it for him. When she was finished, she came back out to find his eyes were closed more than when she d found him before. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him up. He followed her lead and collapsed on the bed without undressing, since he was so tired. She heard his soft snores as soon as his head hit.

This wasn t new to her. He d done this many times and would soon recover after a few hours of sleep. That s when she d be able to enjoy his company. And enjoy his company she would. It had taken some time and patience to keep his reaction from overwhelming him. She couldn t have him bleeding all over her dresses when she wanted to cuddle up to him, now could she?

Satisfied that Ryoga was taken care of, she went back outside to see how her grandfather was faring with their pigs.

"I heard you say that your fianc e was back, Akari-chan," he said as she came up.

"Yes, he is. He s sleeping in the guest room right now." His grunt was his only reply. "Is everything okay out here?" She reached over the fence to scratch Katsunishiki under the chin. He grunted happily at the attention she gave him.

"I believe so. Why don t you go and take care of your fianc e? I think I can handle everything out here just fine."

"Okay. That s just what I was going to ask you about. I have to go in and prepare lunch now. I ll call you when it s ready." Humming to herself, she went back to the house to prepare lunch. The old man sighed, glad that his granddaughter was happy again to have her man back.

Ryoga slept contentedly for the next two hours as Akari prepared the midday meal for the three of them, making extra helpings for Ryoga, since she knew he d be very hungry after all of the traveling he d done.

When Ryoga awoke, he looked around himself in confusion. Lying still for a moment, he allowed the memories to resurface, telling him where he might be. It eventually came to him. Sitting up and inspecting himself, he decided that he needed to get cleaned up. He found the door on the first try and opened it. Looking about, he decided that it wouldn t be wise to just wander about. He called out for Akari softly at first.

When that didn t work, he raised his voice. In the kitchen, Akari heard her name called and stepped out. Rounding a corner, she found Ryoga facing the opposite direction. She could also hear him cursing under his breath about his sense of direction, or the lack thereof.

"Ryoga-sama." He nearly jumped out of his skin before turning around. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Ah heheh I d like to get cleaned up, if you don t mind. It s just that I don t want to get lost going to the bathroom. Could you take me there?"

Her smile brightened the hallway. "Sure. Would you like me to wash your back for you," she asked as she led the way.

Ryoga s heart stopped at hearing the suggestion, his face paling. "Urk," he said intelligently.

Akari giggled, seeing his reaction. "I was only kidding. Here you go. Call me again if you need me."

Ryoga entered.

By the time he was finished his bath, managing not to change into his pig form, lunch was ready. When he stuck his head out of the bathroom to call Akari, he found her waiting for him. They smiled at each other. She led him to the dining table, seating him next to her own place. When everything was placed before them, she sat down and served him. He tried making protests but was shushed.

They ate in silence. When they finished, they retired to the family room to let the food digest. During the meal, Ryoga had remembered what he wanted to talk to the two of them about.

He cleared his throat, drawing their undivided attention. Akari s grandfather looked at him across the room from the couch he was laying on, whereas Akari was looking up at him from the close embrace she had him in. "There are some complications with the engagement. My " He stopped, seeing Akari s eyes mist over, threatening to overflow. He didn t see the angry glare that her grandfather gave him. Continuing, "My family, as you know, has a bad sense of direction. Not long ago, my parents told me about the reason behind this. Also, they told me about the problems that go along with marrying."

He felt the room temperature begin to rise from across the room of the angry old man that was staring daggers at him. "I want to marry you, Akari, but there s something I have to do before I can do that." The heat was turned down. "You see, if we get married and uh " Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he said, "Well, after the marriage and we have a child, you won t be able to navigate like you do now. You ll ah become like me. Unable to get around from one place to the other, that is."

Sparing a glance at his future in-law, he returned his gaze back to the woman in his arms. "That s why I want to hold off for a little while longer. I don t want you having the problems that I have. My parents are happy together, but I don t want you to lose your home like we have. You d be unable to take care of your pigs like you want, so Can you see where I m coming from?"

Akari s emotions had just gone through a roller coaster mere second before. Thus, naturally, she was unable to answer immediately. Ryoga began to feel a bit edgy by her silence. His trepidation proved to be unfounded as she said, "I think I do. You know how much I love you and want to marry you. But, if you think you must, I ll support you in this. Just hurry, please. I ve waited so long for you that, even if you don t find the cure, I ll have you marry me anyways. I know you hate both of your curses, but I m ready to help you."

Ryoga felt elated. He d been able to say exactly what he d wanted and get the gist of it across to Akari. He wasn t concerned about her grandfather. It was Akari that he had to get to understand. If he hadn t been able to, he didn t know how he would have taken it. Seeing how Ranma and Akane had never opened up to each other and had broken up so violently, he didn t want it to happen to him. Thus, he had to be honest with himself and Akari. To give her the Hibiki curse of eternal wandering was too much for him to bear.

"I don t know where to find the cure yet." The tiny frown on her caused him to nearly jerk. Hastily, he said, "But I have some ideas and a name of the guy that cursed my family way back when. If I can find somebody who can reverse the spell, then maybe I can be normal again. And I can marry you without having you get cursed, too."

The old man spoke up, saying with the wisdom of the aged, "It s nice that you want to do this for her. But think of this. If you can t get rid of the curse, then I m pretty sure she ll take you as you are. She knows of you problems and has accepted them. Though I d hate to see the farm lost, I don t want to see her happiness shattered over something like that. I m pretty sure that your mother overcame her fears of the curse and accepted them. I can t speak for her, but I m pretty sure she can overcome them, too."

Ryoga looked back to his fianc e. She nodded, agreeing with what had just been said. "I just want the both of us to be happy, Ryoga-sama. If it means that I take on the curse, then it s okay." Her eyes shimmered. They overflowed, giving in to her emotions. "All I want to be is happy with you. Please come back to me, even if you don t get cured."

The Eternal Lost Boy was much like Ranma. Seeing a girl cry was beyond his ability to allow to happen while he was there. Thus, he pulled her closer and uttered nonsensical shushing noises. She cried, wetting his shirt with her warm tears.

"I promise to you, Akari-chan, that I will come back. Even if I don t find any of my cures." He felt much better after she stopped crying. Ryoga didn t release the gentle hold he had on her. He never wanted to let go, but knew that if he wanted to find a cure for himself and to avoid having her receive it, he would have to eventually. But that didn t mean that he couldn t hold her now that he had the chance.

Akari s grandfather saw that the couple needed their privacy and decided that he had some more chores to attend to. He left quietly, trying not to disturb them as they stared into the other s eyes.

Ranma woke up that morning, wondering exactly where he was. Dawn was breaking over the Land of the Rising Sun. Light streamed in through the window that sat right above the cozy bed he was sleeping in. Bed? This confused him. He d never had a bed, except for the short time he d stayed with his mother. Even then, he d sleep on the floor because he felt used to sleeping so close to the ground.

He wanted to find out where he was, but there was a problem. It was too comfortable where he was at the moment. Then thoughts about the previous day intruded on the lazy calm he was attempting to enjoy.

After his explanation to the inhabitants of the home he was in, he d went to the room that he d been given. It was too much for him just to stay indoors. Thus, he d gone to the training ground and started working out on the practice dummies. Tiring of that, he d then begun his acrobatic tricks on the bars that were interspersed throughout the training area.

There were only so many things that he could do up to that point. Then a thought had miraculously appeared. He could work on Forms for Kenpo. After finding out that he d needed a lot of work on that, Eisei-sensei had offered to help with the practice. They d faced each other and Ranma had begun imitating the movements before him. After a while, his memory dredged up the proper kata that he needed.

*Staying here might not be too bad. It gets tiring just wandering around not finding too much in the way for training. If I stay here, I can at least learn a few things. Even if he wants me to do some crazy stuff, I can refuse. It s not like he has anything hanging over my head,* he thought. It was an easy decision. Eisei-sensei seemed to be sincere in his offer. Even if he wasn t, Ranma could still glean some training out of him. It would also give the old man something to do, rather rotting in the middle of nowhere with Toshi as company. She had to get on his nerves sometimes.

A light tapping on his door brought him from his musings. Sitting up and allowing the covers to pool down at his waist, he asked, "Who is it?"

"Toshi. I ll have breakfast ready here in a little while. Thought you d like to get cleaned up."

"Thanks. I m getting up right now." Hearing her walk away, he sighed, getting out of bed. He looked longingly back at the warm cocoon he d just gotten out of with longing. Then his stomach told him that he had other, more pressing, matters to attend to. He was starving because of the workout that he d had the day prior. Grabbing his toiletries, he headed for the bathroom.

After having shaved, brushed his teeth, and dressed, he entered the dining room to find the table stuffed to near bursting with food. His eyes gleamed, as well as his stomach growling, once again, in appreciation at the sight before him. His brain shut down, giving over to his baser needs. Any coherent thought was now shunted away to a dark corner of his mind. His stomach told his mind that if he d even considered having left, it was now moot. There was no way he d leave if he was to be fed like this.

Eisei-sensei looked up from the food in front of him to the young man that was making some rather remarkable noises. He smiled when he realized what they were. "Sit down, Ranma-kun. I decided that if you were to stay here, you d need a good breakfast to start the day with, since I plan to run you ragged. If, however, you decide that you don t want to stay, I find that being a proper host and sending you off with a full stomach is in order. What do you say about that?"

Ranma wasn t able to pay any attention to what had been said to him. Slavering, he said, "Foooooood." A line of drool made a track down his chin, dripping off and landing on his shirt. "Must have fooooood."

Toshi laughed at Ranma when she saw his expression, or the lack thereof, when she came into the dining room. Her food was good, but his reaction was a tad on the exaggerated side.

Only when he was near the end of his meal was Ranma concerned about what was going on around him. Seeing that he was coherent again, Toshi asked, "So, are you going to stay?" She wanted to know whether or not she was going to be his personal punching bag during his stay. If he was, she had a thing or two to teach him. She d figure out what exactly that would be later.

Ranma looked from one to the other of his two hosts for a moment before speaking. "I thought about it a little more and thought well, it s not gonna hurt to hang around and get a little training in. I was told yesterday that if I didn t like it here, I could leave anytime. No strings attached. I ll help out with some of the chores so I m not freeloading. Other than that, I think I see no problems."

"What exactly are you going to train us in this morning," Toshi asked Eisei-sensei, now that it was decided that she would now have somebody to train with.

"Well, for you, just your fighting skills. You ve only been learning for the past few years, so it s always good to train. With Ranma here, you can learn how to analyze different opponents. I use a number of stances that I prefer to start with. Ranma, on the other hand, uses the Kenpo more than anything."

Toshi looked over at where Ranma was sitting. "And what s that got to do with how he fights?" He seemed oblivious to the conversation.

"He likes to make somebody think he s not as good as he really is. That s what. It s just that he doesn t know how good he actually is, for that matter." Eisei-sensei didn t want to build Ranma s ego with him sitting only a few feet away, but he did want to prove a point with Toshi. "He ll stand relaxed, showing nothing. It s hard for an opponent of his to know what his moves are going to be because he s trying not to telegraphing anything. He does go into a stance every once in a while, however. That s what I want you to learn from."

"Oh. Well, what are you going to teach him? He already knows martial arts. What else does he need?"

The old man sighed patiently. "There s more to martial arts than just the fighting styles. He can learn a lot more in control of himself. He s full of chaos, for one. Every once in a while, I get a little dizzy just looking at him." Ranma looked up at this, raising his eyebrow quizzically, but said nothing and continued to eat. If anybody would be able to tell whether or not he was a magnet for trouble, Eisei-sensei probably could. "There s a few techniques I d like to show him, too. I m sure his arsenal is pretty decent. But it s always good to learn a couple more."

Ranma started twitching excitedly when he heard that he would learn new techniques. If his previous sparring match with the older man was any indication, he had some formidable skills. Both of them had limited their sparring match to conventional attacks. Meaning, of course, no finishing moves or special attacks. Eisei-sensei seemed to have both experience and capability on his side. Learning was always fun, even if it meant hard knocks for Ranma.

"Why don t you teach me some of these," asked Toshi. She didn t want to sound like a petulant child, but it didn t seem fair that she would be excluded from something like that.

Eisei-sensei felt that he needed to head off any further complaints. "He s been training since he was little, from what I ve gathered. He s also able to manipulate ki. That takes a lot of discipline and training to obtain. You re only scratching the surface so far."

She wasn t totally mollified by the answer. "When do you think I ll be good enough?"

"That s one I can t really answer, really," he answered truthfully. "A person s capabilities aren t measurable in that way. It s only through trial, error, and lots of training to attain what Ranma has. There s a lot of martial artists that have trained for a good portion of their life and haven t gotten to a point where they re capable of what myself and Ranma can do. If you show the proper ability and the discipline necessary for some of the secrets, I may teach you."

Ranma spoke up, for once, saying, "I only know about half a dozen people that can do similar moves that I can. One guy I know uses his depression for a focus on his ki-based attacks. You just have to find yourself."

Toshi eyed him suspiciously. His juvenile mannerisms she was used to by now, even having met him the day before. She expected it from him, as she was older by a few years. But something on the lines of philosophy didn t seem to suit him.

Ranma just looked back at her nonchalantly. It didn t bother him if he kept her off balance. That s what he had been made for, it seemed. Keep any and all women on edge when he was around. It could be both a curse and a blessing at times, he found. Turning to Eisei-sensei, he said, "Well, I want to get started early, if you don t mind. I don t mind training after dark, but I like to sleep sometime, ya know."

Eisei-sensei looked down his nose at Ranma. "Now that you re my student, you will show the proper respect for me, too. Now help Toshi-chan here with the dishes and the two of you meet me outside." He got up from his seat, heading out the door.

Toshi could hear Ranma muttering under his breath about the old and respect. She bopped him on the head.

Looking up at his attacker, he said, "I m gonna get ya for that. I don t like it when people hit me for no reason. It s gotten to be a pet peeve of mine lately."

Not shrinking back from the fire in his eyes, she said, "Well, if you don t shut up, you ll be getting more than that. And not from me, either. Now, let s get this fixed up so we can go train." Grabbing plates, bowls and whatever else she could hold, she headed for the kitchen.

Ranma followed suite, laying his dishes beside hers. They made short work of the cleaning, heading outside wen they were done.

Cologne entered a hotel. Since they d sold the Nekohanten, they weren t able to stay there anymore. This didn t bother the Matriarch one bit. Though the hotel wasn t fancy, she hadn t picked it because of that. It wasn t supposed to be a luxury suite. She d picked it because of its price and its functionality.

They d taken the shortest routes available to get back to Japan. A freak thunderstorm in the mountains had slowed them down for a couple of days, but that was of no consequence. They would have Ranma soon. Only one more day.

Shampoo sat in a chair, not looking like her usual perky self. Cologne would have to get her back to the village soon. After they d arrived back at the village, she had gone off and enjoyed the company of other villagers of her age. Nothing untoward. It had sent Shampoo into more of a melancholy. Cologne chalked it up to homesickness. Since they d been after Ranma for so long, she was missing her sisters and the rest of her family. The old woman was feeling much the same emotions. It had been nice to be back in the village, even if it was for a week or two.

Get yourself ready. We ll be heading out in a moment or two, Cologne said to her great-granddaughter. Moving over to her pack, she pulled out the tea pouch where her special concoction had been placed. It was now time to see how well Ranma fared against one of the most powerful herbs that the Amazons had in their arsenal. Looking up, she saw that Shampoo was ready. Let s go. It s time we got this done with. I want to be back in the village soon. We ve stayed in Japan too long as it is.

Shampoo nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly about going back home. Though it disturbed her that her great-grandmother was so determined, she could understand it somewhat.

The old woman had set her honor in jeopardy by placing herself in the manhunt. With Ranma s reticence, it had only made it that much harder for the two of them to return without losing a little face. Now that they were using the most desperate of measures, Cologne would have a hard time of regaining the exalted position she d left in order to help Shampoo to catch such a strong husband. Her enemies in the council would grasp at the power that she d lost. And, having lived as long as Cologne has, she had a lot of political, as well as personal, enemies in the village.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, they made it to the Tendo dojo in short order. Cologne had told her that they would make a reconnaissance before venturing further. Shampoo would be the one to look. A tap from Cologne told her that it was time.

They leapt down to the alleyway below them. Finding cold water was easy. Once she was changed, Shampoo found a way into the dojo by way of an overlooked crack in the wall. It was telltale evidence of the disastrous battles that had raged there.

Peering around, she darted from one hiding place to another. First a bush, then behind a rock. Her cat form was small enough for concealment without worry of discovery. Perking her ears, she listened before darting across an open area. It disturbed her that the dojo was so quiet. Usually, Ranma would be either on the roof, in the dojo, or in his room at this time. When they d arrived, they had checked to see if he was on the roof, but that proved fruitless. Now it was time to check the dojo.

Sliding under the dojo, she listened for the sound of feet above her. There was.

Time to see who it actually was without discovery. Finding herself below the doors, she waited until the sound of the person above her was at the other end of the dojo. Satisfied that they were on away from her, she dashed out and leapt inside. A rack of weapons was good enough for her, she decided.

Once she was in place, she was able to take the time to see who it was that she had heard. Her eyes narrowed. It was Akane. There was no Ranma anywhere. There were advantages to being a cat, she had found. One of them was the keen sense of smell. On a hunch, she decided to use it.

Sniffing, she found that his smell was quite faint, as if he hadn t been there in quite some time. This bothered her. It would take many weeks to take the smell of someone out of the wood like that. Ranma would always come to the dojo if he was around. His sweat and body oils were ingrained into the wood, making an imprint into them, telling the tale of who had worked a kata or had simply entered the dojo. It was one of Ranma s favorite places. If he was fading from existence, it meant trouble had boiled over.

Her heart started beating faster. Where was he? If he wasn t at the dojo, where else could he go to? What might have happened to him?

Seeing that Akane was facing away from her, she dashed outside and raced to the hole in the wall. She had to tell her great-grandmother the problem that had arisen. They d only thought that they would need to separate Ranma from anyone else. Considering him absent hadn t crossed their minds in the least. Something may have happened to him while they had been gone for all those months.

When she exited, she was immediately picked up. When the two were hidden from sight, Cologne poured the hot water over her so she could report what she had found. She told what she d seen and smelled as she dressed.

The Matriarch didn t look pleased. Nor did she look too surprised, either. It s not a problem at the moment, Shampoo. He may ve just gone to his mother s to stay. I d think less of him even more if he didn t at least visit her more often. It s his duty as a son to serve her. It wasn t lost on her that he was Japanese and it was a patriarchal society, but it was also known he thought highly of his mother and would probably try to spend some quality time with her after all those years he d been away.

Do we go there now, asked Shampoo.

Yes. When we can, we ll try to lure Ranma out of there like we ve been planning. Once we have him alone, that s when we ll use the tea on him. If that doesn t work, then we ll try to spirit him away and then administer it. Let s go. She remembered where the Saotome residence was. Getting there would be no problem.

Akari shifted in Ryoga s embrace. They were looking into the pen where the pigs were held. Ryoga didn t like pigs all that much, considering he turned into one, but that didn t deter him from the feelings he shared with Akari. She cared about him and overlooked his multitude of curses. For that, he could handle the pigs. It didn t mean that he would eat pork. He still wasn t about to become a cannibal, even though his natural form was human.

The young woman in his arms felt him tensing as they watched the pigs. She knew of his dislike, but was glad that he chose her anyway. They were following their hearts. That s all that mattered.

"Why don t we go inside? I ll get something for us to eat," she offered. It was best to keep him from his depressing thoughts. Being near the pigs only deepened his self-hatred. Being half a man seemed to grind on him more than anything else these days.

"Sure." They turned to go inside. While they walked, Ryoga remembered a promise to himself. He shifted his gaze from the ground to Akari s face. "There s something I have to tell you."

She looked up at him and saw his serious expression. Worry gnawed at her.

Seeing her attention directed at him, he continued. "I ve done some things that are dishonorable." She was about to deny that he could never be dishonorable, but he held a finger to her lips, shushing her. "I ve abused the honor of a couple of my friends. I have to make amends. The nature of the dishonor deals with my curse. You see, Ranma accidentally knocked me into the pool, as you know. Well He promised not to tell anybody about it. That included his fianc e, Akane." He paused, gathering his thoughts and courage.

Akari relaxed. It was more of a confession of guilt rather than what she d feared, even after his statements of coming back to her.

"Just after Ranma found out that I was cursed, I was found by Akane. In my pig form. She adopted me and I became her pet, whom she called P-chan. Somehow, I fell for her and started treating Ranma poorly. I m over her now," he assured Akari, seeing that she had become slightly distressed. "But I have to tell her what I ve done to her. What I did was wrong. Both in having warped Ranma s honor into using it against him and by keeping Akane ignorant of who and what I was. There s no excuse for what I did. I know that now. Even when I had feelings for her, I should have told her."

He was breathing heavier, now that he d gotten to admitting one of his faults to his fianc e. It disturbed her that he would do something like that. "You do what you see that you must. I m glad you re admitting that you made a mistake. I just hope you don t do something like that again."

Her subtle admonishment stung him. Unable and unwilling to respond, he continued walking with Akari to the house.

Nodoka was cleaning, as it was her wont. When she came to the room where her husband sat watching television, she stopped in her duties to contemplate him. His action, or his inaction, rather, was beginning to irritate her.

"Genma," she said, causing him to jump, "Why don t you make yourself useful?"

He could find no way out of his current predicament. "W-what do you want me to do?"

*Good question. There s not much you re good at besides attempting martial arts and board games,* she thought to herself. "Never mind. Why don t you go to the Tendos? I m sure Soun would like to see you." It would get Genma out of the house, even though she was glad to have him back. She was too used to having the house to herself to have it suddenly invaded by Genma, even if he was her husband.

It had take a couple of days and a few thrashings to keep him in human form. Getting panda fur off of her furniture had been a chore that she didn t like one bit.

When he was gone, she found that she had nothing else to do. Sighing in exasperation, she went outside to their back yard. She watched the clouds make their inexorable way across the sky.

She saw movement in her peripheral vision. Looking to where she d seen it, she found nothing. She chalked it up to a bird.

Cologne hopped back up to the wall when Nodoka walked back inside. After seeing Genma leave, she d assumed that Ranma would be near. Such was not the case, it seemed. Shampoo had, by now, checked the family s small dojo to see if Ranma was around. Where he could be puzzled her. Whenever he d left on a training trip, he d always gone with someone else. Either his father or his fianc e. Or both.

Seeing that her questions couldn t be answered without exposing herself, she decided that she d have to choose her second option. She d have to find Ranma on her own. But first, she had to find something that he owned.

Creeping alongside the house, she made sure that Nodoka wouldn t be coming across her by chance while she perused Ranma s room. Finding it was easy. It was only a matter of deduction. Using stealth that was honed by many years, se stole into his room and closed the door quietly behind her.

The room seemed spotless. A few pictures were the only evidence that Ranma actually had this room as his own. They d been given to him by his mother, since she knew that Ranma didn t usually indulge in material things like most people. Opening a drawer, she found that he d left a few shirts behind. They would work nicely. It was apparent that he hadn t been able to pack all of his clothing when he took off on his trip. Probably due to the fact that his wardrobe had increased considerably since he d stayed in one place for over two years.

Pulling the article of clothing out of the drawer, she went to the door and listened. Hearing footsteps approaching from down the hall, she opted for the window as a form of escape. Opening it quietly, she leapt out. She made sure that she tapped the window pane as she exited. It wouldn t do to have the room left open to the elements for too long.

Nodoka heard the tap and headed to her son s room. It puzzled her that his window was open. Everything looked as it had when she d left it not an hour ago while she d been cleaning. It wasn t like her to leave a window open. Looking outside, she found nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging to herself, she closed the window and walked out. It would bother her for the rest of the day.

Toshi looked across from her to Ranma. She was breathing hard, whereas Ranma didn t even seem the slightest bit winded. He d been dodging everything she d thrown at him for the past half-hour. Having trained under Eisei-sensei for a time, she knew that she wasn t all that slow. She was beginning to see why Eisei-sensei wanted to teach Ranma to have no qualms of hitting women. Though she didn t approve wholeheartedly, she could understand the reasoning the old man had.

If he wouldn t hit women, then it would be a handicap if he ever came across an opponent that was and decided she wanted to end his stay on this plane of existence permanently. It wouldn t do for him to rely on them wearing themselves out by his constant dodging. It was also an insult to her, personally, that Ranma wouldn t take her seriously enough that he wouldn t hit her in a sparring session. It almost seemed like Ranma was playing with her, irritating her all the more. If he came across an opponent that was female and he wouldn t fight her just because of her gender and she was good enough, he wouldn t have much of a chance. He might be able to incapacitate her, but he d have to hit her first.

Besides, if he was going to open a dojo, he d probably be training women of various ages. What was he going to do then?

She hated having to be the one to break Ranma out of a bad habit. And she was going to hate herself even more after she did what she decided needed to be done.

Up to now, he d been dodging, only throwing a punch off to either side of her. It was only to distract her, she knew, not even aimed close to her body. Sending a series of punches at him, she waited for him to do his rebuttal that she had come to expect.

When he did, she threw herself in the path of his fist.

And found herself a dozen feet away, having spun away uncontrollably. Ranma was instantly by her side, checking to make sure he hadn t injured her. He was also berating her in the meantime. "Why d you get in the way, you dummy? Ya coulda gotten hurt." Eisei-sensei, meanwhile, kept silent on the sidelines.

"Aren t you supposed to hit someone, even in sparring," she yelled back at him. He was getting on her last nerve.

"I don t hit girls," he said, as if that explained everything.

"You re a girl half the time. Does anybody you know hold back on you?"

"No. But that s because I m a guy." Perfect logic.

"Then why does it make it any less for me, since I m a girl, that I shouldn t be able to train like you. I mean, wouldn t you hate it if somebody held back when they were sparring with you when you were in your girl form?" She saw that she was hitting a sensitive nerve. Forging on, she said, "It s a pretty sexist attitude thinking that the only ones able to take a punch are guys. What about us? We re martial artists, too. You need to take us seriously, as well."

He was scowling by this time. "Aw, man You re sounding just like Akane."

Toshi missed the flicker of pain that crossed his face when he said the name. "She has more sense than you, it seems. Look, it s not a challenge to the death or anything. It s only sparring. You don t have to hit me with all your force. Don t worry. I don t break that easily."

"Sure coulda fooled me," he said.

"Look, Ranma-kun, I know you don t like hitting women. It s a bad practice, if you ask me. There are some of us that are martial artists, too. You can t treat us as if we were porcelain. Do you know any women that are pretty strong, too?" She dearly hoped so.

"Well, the old ghoul, I guess. But then, she s older than the dirt we re standing on, probably. At least, her age goes up each time she s asked. Don t know what to make of it, really."

This was her ammo. "Do you think she started out being strong?"

Ranma thought for a moment. She really couldn t have, as far as he could see. Everybody had to start from ground zero, even him. "Guess not. But she s an Amazon. Why?"

*Why, he asks. What a baka.* "She had to start somewhere, ne? I mean, how did she get as strong as she is now? By being treated like she would break at the slightest whim? C mon, Ranma, you got to admit that women can be as strong as men when they set their minds to it. Are the Amazons weak? Do you like it when somebody holds back when you re in your girl form?"

"Well," Ranma groused. His pride came to the fore, blinding him once again.. "But I m a guy, whether I m in my girl form or not. Nobody needs to hold back on me when I m fighting. I ve been training all of my life, so why would anybody need to hold back?"

Toshi tapped her finger on her chin, waiting for what he d said to sink into his own head. Eventually, it did.

Looking down shamefacedly, he muttered, "But I don t want to hurt anybody. I ve always been taught that I should protect the weak." The excuse sounded like he was whining, even to himself.

"But if women train, too, then they won t be weak, ne? So, you got to understand that we are insulted by your chauvinistic views and actions. See where I m getting?"

A slow smile came to Ranma s lips. Casting about, he found what he was looking for. Holding two rocks about the size of sparrow eggs up for Toshi s inspection, he gripped them in his fist. The sound of the rocks crushed against each other made Toshi squirm. It was much like the sound of someone running their fingers across a chalkboard. Not satisfied with the small pebbles, he ground his fingers together. Now the sound was less irritating, but it still awed Toshi, nonetheless. The pebbles were finally ground to a coarse sand. Spreading his fingers, he let the sand fall down to the ground.

Her voice wavered, but she stayed firm in her belief. "That s That s pretty good. But we re not out to kill each other, remember. It s okay if you hold back." She went into a ready stance, indicating that she was ready. *What have I gotten myself into,* she thought to herself. If she survived the training with Ranma, she d find some way to get back at him. It seemed that he liked food quite a bit. There may be an avenue of approach for her revenge. Eisei-sensei wouldn t be left out, either, she vowed to herself.

*If she wants to train, I ll hold back,* Ranma thought. *But she ll regret it later. Maybe then she ll leave me alone. If she doesn t, well I ll just have to show her a little of the Saotome School of Hard Knocks. That should teach her.* He knew by the look in her eyes that he was in for some pain later, but he could handle it. He d been through four fianc es. There was no way this single woman could be worse than that. Taking up a ready stance, he waited for Toshi to initiate the attack.

Seeing that it was her cue, Toshi leapt at Ranma with a whirling kick, connecting with his forearm. Which was quickly followed by a forearm strike. Ranma let it land on his other forearm. Twisting his arm around, he shot hers out to the side where she was exposed and patterned a small tattoo on her side.

Wincing from the sharp blows, Toshi backed up to analyze her situation. Ranma was entirely too fast for her. There had to be some weakness she could exploit. It would take time, but she planned to find it. With more caution, she shuffled forward. Ranma performed a leg sweep, causing her to leap over it. As she landed, she found that she was the target of several open-handed slaps from the thighs to her shoulders.

Spinning away from the onslaught, she looked carefully at Ranma again. He had an arrogant smile plastered on his face. With another whirling kick, she struck at Ranma, only lower this time. Following through with a few quick strikes to his midsection, she found that he wasn t even trying to block them. As her blows connected, she found that he was flexing. She could have sworn that as she hit, she was striking tempered titanium or something stronger. Not once did she make Ranma wince or even rock back.

Smiling down at her, he folded his arms and waited for her to stop her futile strikes. When she stepped back again, he lost all expression on his face, causing her to start. Then he began to advance, indicating he was going to take over the fight. That s when she began to seriously fear for her health.

His primary focus in martial arts was Kenpo, which was one of the most vicious. It was meant to hit the opponent from the groin area to the face in rapid succession. Starting from the midsection and working one s way up and then beginning again was about the best. He wouldn t use the full technique on Toshi, but he would give her a taste of what he could do, even holding back.

When Toshi finally sat up, she looked over to Eisei-sensei. He simply smiled back at her. He saw that Toshi needed a bit in the raining of humility and that would be Ranma s department for the time being. She d been headstrong since he d met her. Maybe now would be the time she settled a bit. Toshi glared at him, not liking the smile one bit.

Picking herself up, she dusted off. Ranma stood ten feet away from her, waiting for her recovery. In all of her training sessions had she never been downed so fast. "How many times did you just hit me," she asked.

Eisei-sensei spoke up, saying, "About forty times in all of three heartbeats."

Toshi looked back at him, incredulous. Nobody could hit that fast, could they? It was apparent that Ranma could, however. "Just how fast can you actually hit someone? I know you re holding back, so you must be faster than you re letting on. Am I right?"

Ranma nodded. He saw that a little demonstration was in order. Looking about, he spied the training dummies. Walking up to one, he looked over to Eisei-sensei. "I ll fix this one after we re done here."

Both observers made their way over to where he was standing so they could see. Eisei-sensei had an inkling of what was about to happen but was always impressed with Ranma s abilities.

Ranma took a firm stance. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken," he yelled.

Toshi could only explain what she saw as a blurring of the air between Ranma and the dummy. In all of one heartbeat, the dummy was pulverized into small bits and pieces. She took an involuntary step back because of the display. What she had seen was impossible for any human to accomplish. "H How many times did you hit that?"

Ranma pursed his lips in thought. "I think I hit it just under three hundred times. Not quite sure. I don t try to count because it s hard to keep track of after the first hundred or so." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

Toshi let out the breath she didn t know she d been holding. "I see." Shaking herself, she brought herself back to what she wanted to accomplish with Ranma. "I still want to spar with you. Remember, though. Don t just dodge." She felt a shudder coming on, but she suppressed it with all of her will.

When she turned around to face Ranma, she found that smirk on his face again. Mentally groaning, she initiated the attack. She managed to grab one of his arms and performed a hip throw. He rolled with it and came up standing on his toes, bouncing lightly. She could see his teeth showing in a wide grin.

It was going to be a long day, she knew.

Akane sat in the dojo, looking over the destruction she s wrought. The crumpled remains of the cinder blocks lay scattered about her. It had done nothing to relieve the majority of pent-up energy she contained. Stepping out, she spotted her father playing shogi with Genma. The spark of an idea came to her. Walking up to the men, she asked, "Father, would you like to spar with me?"

Soun looked up from the board up to his daughter. His eye twitched nervously. He remembered that the last few times he d sparred with Akane recently had ended with him lying in his bed for a few hours.

She noted his hesitation. Turning her attention to the other man, she asked, "Uncle Saotome, would you like to spar with me?"

He paused in the middle of pulling pieces off and replacing them in a more favorable position. For him, at least. Akane had never asked him to spar before. So, naturally, it was a bit of a surprise. Where s that worthless son of mine, he thought, before looking up at the expectant teenager. Turning to Soun, he raised his eyebrow fractionally, seeing if he was allowed. She wasn t his student, so it would be a breach of ethics without permission. Even though he wasn t in panda form, he still had the ability to silently communicate with his friend.

Soun thought about it for a fraction of a second. It appealed to him. He d be able to kick back and watch somebody else get thrown around by his daughter, for once. Now that Ranma wasn t around, she d been pestering him to spar, which he did only reluctantly.

With a nod just as fractional as Genma s silent question, he gave his go-ahead. Akane missed the whole by-play between the two.

Genma stood up, indicating his acceptance, having been trapped between a young woman and an age-old friend. He didn t relish the idea of having to spar with Akane, but wouldn t let her down.

She started leading him to the dojo, but he wasn t following her. She realized he was balking and turned around. "What s wrong?"

"Why don t we practice out here? Whoever gets knocked into the pond loses." It s been a while since he and Ranma had sparred, so it would be a bit of fun to see if he could avoid the water.

Akane looked at the water, debating. Seeing no harm in the challenge, she took up a ready position.

They then began sparring in earnest.

Akane was being hard-pressed by Genma. He wasn t holding much back, considering he had no compunction in holding back against women like his son was. He'd impressed it into Ranma, but that was different. His experiences had granted him the wisdom not to underestimate an opponent, regardless of gender. The young woman wasn t really used to one-on-one matches, considering she d had more experience in mob control. That was why she was having such a hard time keeping Genma s punches at bay.

Genma was giving ground slowly. It wasn t because of his opponent s skill. It was, in fact, because of her strength. Akane got the occasional punch in, which would send him skidding back inch by inch. Noting his precarious position, he decided on an alternate avenue of approach. Using his leaping abilities, he jumped over Akane, twisting in midair so he would face her when he landed. From there, he proceeded to barrage her with rabbit punches to the midsection. It was her turn to start falling back towards the pond.

When he slowed enough and was close, she grabbed onto his arm and gave it a good yank. It unbalanced him, causing him to fall forward. Akane rolled onto her back, vaulting Genma into the air with her legs.

Rather than allow her to send him into the pond, he tucked his arms and legs in, allowing his body to become a human bullet. This allowed his momentum to be maintained, rather than have him slowed because of he resistance of what his arms and legs would give if he were to remain spread-eagled. Twisting in the air catlike, yet again, he managed to land on a rock on the far side of the pond.

By the time he d landed, Akane was standing and saw his recovery. As soon as he landed, Genma launched himself back at Akane. She took a step back, bracing herself for the impact. It was more than she could manage to absorb, so she ended up sliding back a few feet. Then the barrage of punches started again and she desperately tried to block what she could. Desperately, she stepped in close to Genma, grabbing his arms again and started to grapple with him. His bulk aided him in what they were doing, but she had a lower center of gravity, which allowed her to pivot him around towards the pond.

Once positioned, she tucked and rolled onto her back. Instead of launching Genma, she held on and continued the roll, causing them to look like a human tire. As they neared the pond, she flung Genma up into the air, who would have arced to the water, if he hadn t kept a hold of her. Akane found herself with no hold on Genma, who d managed to stop his intended flight, and in a position where she would be sent into the water. Placing his feet on her midsection, Genma sent Akane up into the air.

She was sent high up into the air, making it impossible to even attempt what Genma had done only a moment before. Seeing the water approaching at a rapid pace, she became a cannonball and entered the water, spraying it every which way. Genma was able to roll away from the splash, making it so he wouldn t change into a panda for once.

Akane pulled herself out of the water, looking miserable. She d lost, which didn t do anything for her spirits. Though it had been fun, she d wanted to win this one badly. It would show that she was at least a good martial artist. This only proved to her that she needed a lot more training.

Seeing her plight Genma walked up to her, saying, "That was good, Akane-chan. You almost had me a couple of times there." He knew a little of teaching, allowing him to realize that giving praise to Akane would help greatly at the moment. Her impending gloom seemed to part. That was about the best he could do. That was when the legendary Saotome short circuit kicked in. "You could have probably gotten better if you d gone on that training trip with Ranma this summer."

Akane reacted to this as if slapped. She probably would have been on the training trip with Ranma this summer if it hadn t been for her. She still felt guilt at her actions, even though she didn t understand them herself. They weren t what she had wanted. Even though he d forgiven her, she still didn t forgive herself.

Anger was her first reaction, but she clamped down on it. She d promised herself that she d try to keep from letting her anger get the best of her. Too many times had she let it reign over her life. Ranma had asked her many times why she liked to be angry so much. It wasn t that she liked to be angry. It was only that she could readily bring it forth because of all the ills in her life had opened the channels for it to flow through. It had started with her mother and escalated when the boys at school had started to attack her in the mornings.

Many other factors had been added, including the forced engagement to Ranma. It wasn t that she didn t like Ranma. After she found that he didn t treat her as a prize like the other boys would, she d begun to actually find him becoming more of a permanent fixture in her life. Then came the multitude of fianc es, which had set off the anger to new heights. But her anger had been unfounded in many ways, since he d always come back to her. She knew this now, since she d taken the time to wrestle with her feelings about him in the recent months.

More so because of the way she d treated him. That s why she was trying valiantly to keep her anger from getting the better of her. It was a hard task, but she felt that she was up to it. It had been successful most times, this one included.

Grief was next, but she smothered it much like she did her anger. There was no way she was going to cry in front of the two men. One thing she hated the most was to be embarrassed, especially in front of family.

Gathering herself, she stood tall and walked inside, ignoring the two who were sweating profusely.

Genma and Sound sighed. They both knew that Genma had fouled up, but were glad that Akane had controlled herself, much to Genma s continuing good health. They turned back to their shogi game. Taking a sip of the tea that was before them, they found that they needed something a little stronger to ease the rest of the day away.

Soun stood up and walked to where he d stashed a bottle of sake. Pouring for himself and his friend, they sat back and allowed the liquor to soothe their parched throats. A disaster had been avoided and it was time to celebrate their good fortune.

Eisei Seijin sat before his altar. After having watched Ranma work Toshi over, he d extricated himself for a short time. The results had been astounding, so he d needed some time to think of how to proceed further. Toshi, currently, was soaking her bruises in the furo. She d remained obstinate about training with Ranma, even though she d glared daggers at the both of them. If he d been suspect to heart attacks by eye contact, he d have been dead many times over.

But, now, it was time to think of what else to train him in. There were so many things he wanted to pass on, but that would be foolhardy. It had been many years since he d had a student who he could pass on secret techniques to whom he could trust to use them wisely. Well, as far as he d been told so far, Ranma would be a likely candidate. There were the students that turned bad, but he didn t suspect Ranma to do that.

Looking at the altar, he spied the rose that sat there. In all the weeks that it had sat there, it had not wilted in the slightest. It was a symbol of some sort. What of, he would find out in time, he knew. It was a part of Ranma. Maybe he could find out part of the story from him.

Somebody cleared their throat behind him. Startled, he turned to find the one who had delivered the rose in the first place. As well as the task of training Ranma. It wasn t much of a surprise to find him present, but more of the fact that he hadn t sensed him in the first place.

"You re doing well so far, Seijin. You re working fairly fast, considering you only started today. I knew I could count on you." He sat down beside his friend, facing the altar.

"Yes. Most of the credit goes to Toshi, though. I just put them into the situation. What is it you want today? You don t usually stop by just to chat." Which was true, since he hadn t seen him since he d come bringing the task and the rose.

The air turned serious. "One of the others I ve been watching for a while now is on the move. You need to keep the pace you have with Ranma going. Train him on focusing, though. He ll be needing it soon, I believe. It s something that s been in the planning for a while and he ll need it soon and for later. It ll be a test for him, to see how far he s come. I m sure you can pull it off. You always have. After he s proven himself, as I m hoping he will, I think I d like to talk to him in person. If he doesn t succeed, you ll be needing to help him rather quickly."

That really set the old man back. To have Ranma meet his friend would be Well, if he wanted Ranma to meet him, then so be it. It was apparent that Ranma had gone through some strange times in the past three years, so meeting someone else who was a bit on the strange side wouldn t faze him one bit. That s what he hoped, at least. As far as tests were concerned, life was one big test. Whether he succeeded or not wasn t much of a concern to him. He d be able to help Ranma if things got too out of hand. "I ll do what I can," he promised. "Can you tell me how much time I have?"

"I m sorry. Her movements are a bit erratic of late, so it may be in a few days or in a few weeks. It s hard to tell."

"Days," he mused. "It ll be difficult, you know. It took me a while to learn, myself. Has he had some formal training in meditating that you know of?"

"Not really. He s learned to meditate on his own, I m afraid. I ve been watching him for years now. And only in the past few have I actively participated. Not much, mind, but on occasion I ve dabbled in his life."

"Oh? And in what ways would that be?"

He looked down, away from Seijin. "The kind that has hurt him the most. It wasn t my wish to do it, only part of my job, you understand. When the Kami says something, I have to obey. I didn t like it, but I did it anyways. My last actions were all my own devising, though. That s why I went for penance."

"Can you tell me of them?"

"I ll reveal what I ve done when I meet with Ranma. You ll understand then. I won t tell him everything, mind. Just some of the pertinent parts."

Seeing that he could get no further on that subject, Seijin changed it. "Can you tell me of why I get Chaos from Ranma? I know he s been to Jusenkyo and that explains a bit of it. But I don t see how all of it could come from it."

"I m sorry. That s one of the things I was told you needed to find out in due time. When it is revealed to you, is when you are to rectify the problem. There s not much else I can say. Oh, one other thing. Give him a few more attacks using ki. He needs to develop some more attacks so he can be more versatile. He s powerful in that area, so exploit it to the fullest. Watch out for him. He ll surprise you."

"I know. We sparred for about three hours last night. He can go a long time. Which shows how well he can do in a fight. Gave me a rough time there a few times. With my training, I think he ll be close to teaching me a lesson or two." Both smiled. It d been a while since anybody had been able to do that to him, much less get close to it.

"I must be going. I have some more things to do. It has been nice chatting with you. Perhaps we can do it a bit longer and over less stressful subjects."

"Sayonara."

"Sayonara, Seijin."

Dr. Tofu Ono sat in the study his father used to use. He d been in there for the past three hours. His mother hadn t been in the house when he arrived. That was okay, however, since he had a key to the house. The den was filled with books of medicine from one field of practice to the other. They encompassed the occult from primitive tribes to those of the most advanced of today s civilization. There had to be something in them to tell him how to avoid his particular condition.

As he was perusing one volume, his mother entered with some tea. She looked at him and sighed. He hadn t explained his presence when he d arrived. What he wanted was beyond her. It didn t bother her that he wanted to use the study, but it did concern her that he was being a bit obsessive. And secretive.

"Here s your tea, dear." He acknowledged it with a quick smile and the sweeping of several texts onto the floor to clear a space for her to place it. She set it down and pulled up a chair for herself. "Is there anything I can help you with? I know your father s library fairly well. I did put them back in their places on occasion."

Ono frowned. She may be able to help, but it was a bit of a tender subject. At least for him, that is. Who wanted to tell their mothers about the woman in their life and how she affected him? Not many, which included Tofu Ono in that category. He warred inside. At last, he came up with a solution to his problem. He d avoid the heart of the subject and try to find what he could through her suggestions. "I m looking for the cure or something to help with a problem. It deals with a subject that has a concentration problem. He seems to lose any coherent thought at certain times and his vision becomes poor."

It sounded serious to her. She didn t recall anything of that sort during her husband s tenure at the hospital. "What is the cause of this?" If there was a cause, therein lay the cure. She d learned that much from her husband, at least.

He was stumped. How could he explain to her that whenever Kasumi came into the very room he was struck by some incomprehensible silliness? "Eeto Let s say that he " He trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

Seeing him falter, a glimmer of understanding came to his mother. Her motherly instincts told her that it concerned her son directly. "Would it happen to occur when a certain someone came into the room?"

A bit startled at the insight, Ono looked at his mother sharply. "Why, yes. He has a certain fixation on someone. He wants to find a way to avoid the problem if possible. Is there a text that ll help me?"

It confirmed her suspicions. Her husband had had the same problem when he d been courting her. Though he d been able to overcome it in order to propose. "Well, mainly y-...," She caught herself. It wouldn t do to let him know that she understood his exact problem. He d probably deny any personal involvement. When she d arrived to arrange a marriage, he d been reticent. He was still a bit headstrong in that department, so she would keep a level head and try to help him without any embarrassment. "He needs to spend more time with this person, I believe." The makings of an idea came to her. "There is a certain tea, I believe, that will have an effect on him. Give me a moment for me to fetch it."

She went into her kitchen and opened the pantry. Inside were an assortment of herbs and spices. Included were the makings of tea. Pulling a bag out, she spooned out a generous portion into a bag for her son. It was a simple green tea. No special properties involved. Going back into the study, she handed the bag over. Now was the time to make him believe in her words. That was the key. If the patient believed in the cure, then it would work for them. That s why sugar pills were so prominent in today s society.

"This tea here may help him. If he takes it every day for a time, he ll avoid the effects. It won t take immediate effect. It takes a little time for the tea to begin working with the specific reactions that are rendered by whomever causes he reaction. It seems to be that he has an affection or some similar affliction for this person." Ono nodded absently, looking at the bag of tea. "It ll taste much like any normal green tea, but the tea leaves are used to mask the actual flavor of the main ingredient. Your father only had one instance of someone in this particular predicament and he managed to get him through it."

It was true that he d only had one person he knew of. Himself. He d managed to work his problem out without any sort of help other than being around her. But why bother her son with trivialities?

Ono took the bag in hand. Secreting it in one pocket, he stood and began cleaning up the mess he d made. "Arigato gozaimasu, mother."

She nodded, gathering the teacups and pot. Her son had finally decided to pursue Kasumi. It caused her heart to soar. She d been waiting for this to happen as soon as she d recognized whom her son was enamored to. When she d visited those years ago, she d hoped he d begin his courtship soon, but now was a good time. Better late than never.

Turning to her son, she said, "You will stay for supper tonight, yes? It s not often I get to see you." He agreed, to her delight. It was time to make dinner.

Ranma practiced a kata on the training field. He was as relaxed as he could get. After having humiliated and beaten Toshi, he needed to calm himself. It was guilt he felt over having done such a thing to a woman, but she had asked for it. The thing was, she d insisted on doing it the following day and, quite possibly, further on. Women were a mystery to him, even though he turned into one.

Heaving a sigh, he ended the kata. He really needed to find a way to calm himself faster. The day would come eventually, he knew, but he was impatient to learn the proper technique. Maybe Eisei-sensei would have something up his sleeve. He was tough enough for fighting and old enough to have found a way to calm oneself in a short time.

Looking around, he spied a practice dummy. It would do for practice. Sidling up to it, he examined it for how stout it was. It wouldn t do to rip it to shreds without going through a few moves, at least.

As he worked out, he noted the appearance of Eisei-sensei. He seemed thoughtful as he watched Ranma.

Turning to his sensei, he asked, "Got anything to teach me? I don t wanna sit around and punch dummies all day."

Pursing his lips, Eisei-sensei thought of his instructions in training. "What do you know about meditating?"

"Not much. Just that I can use a form of meditation when I m learning a technique. I found it by accident when I was training and then studying some homework. Why?"

"It s, ah, come to my attention that you might need to learn how to meditate properly. I can show you a few techniques that will work."

*He must have been reading my mind or something,* Ranma thought. *Nah, that s impossible.* "Sure. Why not. Oyaji thought it was a waste of time, really. He acted like he could, but he never really took it seriously. Guess I didn t, either."

"There s many reasons to meditate. There are many levels of consciousness. One that most people are familiar with is to calm oneself. Another is to monitor the body so that it can be repaired or do some similar good. What I want to do is to have you find your center."

"My center? What do you mean by that?"

"Hmmm. It s hard to explain with words. Let s go to my garden for this. The atmosphere there is better for this training."

Ranma shrugged. "Whatever you say. Lead away, sensei."

Smiling to himself, Eisei-sensei did. When the reached the seclusion of the garden, he found the place near one of the waterfalls. Only the trickle of water over the rocks and the occasional bird interrupted the silence. There was no wind to speak of, so the leaves of the bamboo shoots were quiet for once. As well as the other vegetation that adorned the surrounding area.

"What is it I do, exactly?"

"There are a few places to focus. Mainly, one can focus on the chest. That s where the heart is and it s where the main body functions occur. Another is in the head itself. That s where the mental functions occur. It s where I want you to concentrated on for now." He touched a spot on Ranma s forehead. "I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on that point. It holds a lot of power for us. You probably won t find exactly what I want you to find for a while, but I m sure you will eventually."

Ranma crossed his eyes, trying to look at the spot that he d been touched at. Unable to do so, he simply closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.

The shushing sound of water over the rocks distracted him. Scrunching his eyes closed even tighter, he tried blocking out the interference.

Then the shrill call of a bird interrupted his efforts. Opening his eyes, he spied the offender and waited for it to quiet. When he closed his eyes again, it sounded yet again. He heaved a sigh. It seemed harder than he d thought. Why couldn t it be like when he wanted to learn something? Watching somebody perform a kata and learning it for himself was easy. Ki attacks weren t as easy, but some techniques weren t too difficult to pick up on.

It was all the internal things that numbed Ranma s abilities. Learning in school had been a chore until he d applied his martial arts abilities to it. But this technique was completely different. There were no movements to imitate. No words to read. No ki energy to manipulate. It was only sending oneself to a trance-like state, which was difficult.

Another distraction appeared in the form of an insect crawling across his arm. Swiping it off, he found that it was still difficult.

When he felt the tap on his shoulder, he looked up to find Eisei-sensei smiling down at him.

"You ve been at this an hour now, Ranma-kun. Why don t you and I go work out a bit? Give your mind a rest. I didn t learn it in one day, either. Give it time."

Standing, Ranma looked around. It almost felt like defeat. But he knew that it was only one step in training. "Hai. Maybe you can show me a few moves. I haven t picked up any new kata or attacks lately, so maybe " He left it in the out in the open, hoping.

"We ll see what we can do."

Toshi was cleaning the house, as usual. With a set of Ranma s clothing in hand, she headed into the guestroom where he was staying. After three days of him staying with them, she was amazed at how clean he seemed to be after a bout with either her or Eisei-sensei. He was able to roll around on the ground and come up as if he d never hit the dirt. It only seemed that he put his clothes in the wash only to appease some sort of timetable with his clothing and how often they needed to be cleaned.

Her gi was dirtied after their morning sessions. There was no way around it, it seemed. It was some innate knack that Ranma had, she knew. It had to be. Maybe it could be learned.

Pulling her thoughts away, she opened the drawer where he was putting his clothes. Something caught her eye. It was a small box.

Normally she wouldn t have gone through a guest s belongings. But this was different. Ranma was an enigma to her. His standoffishness was irritating. It also added a mystery to him that she wanted to delve into. When he looked at her, he never seemed to give her more than a cursory look. It could be due to the fact that he turned into a girl, but that didn t seem right.

Lifting to the box out of the drawer, she opened it to reveal its contents. Which puzzled her even more, to say the least.

Inside was a hank of hair held together by a bow. Normal people would probably keep a lock of hair in a scrapbook. Ranma, however, seemed to have a bit more invested in this hair than he wanted to express to anybody else. She would have to pursue the matter further, she knew. The only way would be to confront Ranma directly and drag the information out of him.

Cologne looked at the shrine entrance. Before her stood a set of steps that meandered their way to the top of a large hill at the base of Mt. Fuji. The magical compass seemed to be pointing to the left, which meant that she needed to go up the stairs. The humming sound coming from the compass indicated that they were near their quarry. That pleased the Matriarch greatly.

Turning to Shampoo, she said, We re close now. Soon we will be seeing Son-in-Law.

Shampoo s attitude had improved much since they d been nearing Ranma s current position. Seeing Ranma always made her pulse race. Even thought she knew he didn t return any feelings to her as she felt or him, she felt her heart wanting to leap out of her chest, anyways. Just hearing his voice sent a shiver down her spine because it was a tenor that captivated her. So many things about Ranma sent her into ecstasy. Had she known the full story behind his absence from the dojo without Akane, she probably would have rushed to him faster, in the vain hope that he might give her a chance. However slim it would be.

Cologne had noted the change in Shampoo, as well. She d hoped that getting nearer Ranma would change her outlook. Seeing her now proved to her that it was true. Without further words, she ascended the steps with her great granddaughter at her heels.

When they were at the top, they headed in the direction the magical compass indicated. Following the path, they came to the clearing where the house stood. Deciding that reconnaissance was necessary, she pulled Shampoo off into the brush. They skirted the clearing, peering out to find any signs of life. They saw none. Taking a look at the compass again, she found that it didn t point at the house. Rather, it pointed beyond.

They followed the outskirts of the clearing until they came upon a path leading up a hill. Noting that the compass indicated the direction of Ranma being up on the hill, they continued on their way.

What Cologne saw disturbed her. Training together were both Ranma and an old man. Seeing Ranma wasn t what bothered her. The old man did, however.

She d never actually never met the man, but had heard much about him. He was a force to be reckoned with. She could feel his aura about him, which identified him to her. Not many knew of him these days because he d all activity approximately a generation ago. Why he had was beyond any of the eldest could fathom. But to have him here in Japan and in close proximity to Ranma seriously hindered her operations.

Watching the two combatants was mesmerizing. They were leaping about, seemingly in a dance. In other circumstances, it could be a dance of death. But this one seemed to be one of the two exchanging pleasantries. They were using speed beyond what mere humans could accomplish. Their forms blurred as they streaked towards one another.

The streaks of ki energy could be seen on occasion. Some even exploded. It was a technique that few could accomplish, Cologne knew. The problem was, it was coming from Ranma. She d never shown him how to do that, so she knew that Ranma s training had intensified during his short stay with his new sensei. She d have been even more alarmed if she d known that he d been there only a few days and had picked up the ability only that morning.

The sparring match continued, never going beyond the superficial punches and kicks, rather than deadly blows that desperately Cologne wished would be inflicted on Eisei so she could have free reign with Ranma. Ranma was getting stronger in leaps and bounds, she saw. Her absence had made it hard for her to gauge the strength he now had. He d been near the point of developing his own unique attacks for his school when she d left. The only thing keeping him from doing so had been the lack of knowledge of how to go about it.

With Eisei Seijin as his sensei, that would change, she knew.

More time was needed to find out the extent of his hold on Ranma. Pulling Shampoo away from the sight before them took a bit of tugging, but she managed to get the drooling girl further into the woods. Setting up a surveillance was in order, as well as finding out when or if Ranma was ever alone. There had to be a pattern somewhere they could exploit.

Stepping off onto a path, they made their way away from the training grounds to find a place to camp. They could start their observing as soon as they were set up for a couple of day s stay. They d find a way to separate Ranma from Eisei s presence in order to subvert him.

Shampoo was a bit disturbed at the display of skill Ranma had been showing. It was apparent that he d been improving. Though she knew his feelings for Akane were deep, she d always hoped to have Ranma come back to China with her. With him separated in distance from the violent tomboy, she might have a chance. During the time she d been with Cologne in China, she d been harboring the loss of hope. Now it flooded back to her. That s why she was so ecstatic at finding Ranma. Her chances of having had gone up a few notches because of the absence of a certain someone. It was looking like she would have her strong husband soon. Very soon.

Humming softly to herself, she followed the Matriarch to where they would set up camp. She never noticed that she was humming one of the war anthems of her tribe.

Kuno Tatewaki wandered the grounds of his estate. He d agonized over how he would confront Saotome Ranma and defeat him. There were no scenarios he could come up with in order to enact it. Every time he saw Ranma defeating him in combat. Unlike before, he had a firm grip on reality and knew that Ranma was fairly decent at martial arts.

That was another sore point. There was, at no time, when he d actually defeated Ranma in a fair fight. He d either been handicapped by some form of incapacitating method or had been ganged up on by multiple attackers. Namely Ryoga, Mousse, and himself. Not many of those fights had he ever landed the final blow.

Tatewaki raised his bokken before himself. There had to be some way that he could confront Ranma on even grounds. His contemplation brought him to a startling discovery.

Never had Ranma ever held a weapon. That had to count for something. He had always fought with his bare hands. Using his body as a weapon, never using a weapon of any sort other than those provided to him by his body. If Tatewaki were to win, he d need to make it on his own terms. That meant that when he made his formal challenge, he would have to issue that only the katana would be used.

Entering the mansion, he went in search of paper and ink. He d fallen out of the habit of having it on him of late, which was no problem.

With the letter of challenge made, he almost called for Sasuke. It wouldn t do to have a mere servant deliver such a challenge. Tatewaki would take the letter to the Saotome residence and deliver it himself.

"Sasuke," he called. The ninja that was called for seemingly came into being before him. His eagerness to serve always pleased the Kunos. "Ready my limousine. I needs must go forth to issue my challenge of combat in arms. We are to go to the Saotome residence."

"Yes, Master Kuno. It shall be readied a once." So saying, he disappeared in much the same speediness as he came.

By the time Kuno descended from the steps of the mansion, he was greeted by the limousine being parked in front of the mansion. Sasuke opened the door for him, closing it when he was inside. They exited the grounds.

The outside world did not concern Tatewaki. It was not his forte to watch such commoners go about their business. He held a high regard for his family name, even though he was no longer under the effects of his singular madness. Some would have disagreed, however, but he did not see it that way. He only paid attention when it suited him.

As his mind wandered, the limousine made its way through Nerima. The Saotomes had a residence in Nerima, one of a few, actually. He didn t know how they had kept it a secret for so long, but it was apparent that it was from Nodoka s side of the family. Genma certainly couldn t have maintained a single household by himself. He d done a bit of research on his nemesis and had found only a few facts about him. There wasn t much in the way of family records for some reason.

But that was of no consequence to Tatewaki. As far as he was concerned, Ranma would be skewered as soon as they finished their fight. Then would be the time for him to put the scoundrel in his past and continue on with his life.

They pulled up to the Saotome residence. The door was opened for him by Sasuke. Stepping out, he walked the short distance from the gate to the front door. Knocking loudly, he waited for the door to be answered.

Nodoka heard the knock and wondered who could be coming to her house. It wasn t often that she had visitors. Most were usually her neighbors, but usually not at this time of day. When she opened the door, her eyes narrowed.

She recognized the young man standing before her. And her feelings for him weren t in his favor.

"How may I help you," she asked civilly.

"I have come to issue a challenge of mortal combat to one Saotome Ranma. The terms of combat are set upon this paper." He held the paper forward to Nodoka. She took it, not liking it one bit. But she opened it and read what the demands were. Her eyebrows drew together into a scowl.

"My son is not here at this time. He s on a training trip and will be back sometime near the end of summer before he goes to school. I ll deliver the challenge to him when he arrives. Until then, you ll have to wait."

Tatewaki mulled it over for a moment. With one of Ranma s training trips, he could have gone anywhere. There was nothing else to do but wait. "Until he arrives, then. Good day." So saying, he strode off without so much as a bow to Nodoka.

Her hackles rose at his impertinence. When Ranma got back, she hoped that he would slice him to ribbons. She knew that he was a great martial artist, but didn t know how well he was with a katana.

When Genma came in that night, he found the letter pinned to the wall near the door. His wife wanted to keep it up as a daily reminder. He read it, frowning the entire time. He had the same concerns as his wife. But less so, because he believed wholeheartedly that Ranma would find some way to overcome his handicap. He was a Saotome. Of course he would win. Thinking this, he followed up with his nightly ritual that his wife had demanded.

By the time he stepped out of the dojo, he was sweating profusely. After cleaning up, he fell into bed and was snoring soundly. He could have sworn he d lost five pounds that night.

Tofu Ono finished up with his current patient. It had been a routine checkup. Shelving the medical file, he went out to the lobby to see whom his secretary had scheduled next.

When he entered, he found that there were only two people present. One was an elderly woman who was due for her regular checkup, as the prior patient had been. The other was a bit of a surprise. Which happened to be Nabiki.

She never came unless it was necessary. And she didn t appear to be injured in any way. Stopping at the elderly woman, he said, "Would you excuse me for a moment. It appears I have some immediate business to attend to." He waited for her acknowledgment before walking over to where Nabiki sat.

"It s good to see you again, sensei. We were wondering why you took off all of a sudden. Onnechan was wanting to see you yesterday, but you were out of town." The gleam in her eyes said to him that he had better have a good explanation. Only slightly perturbed, he pulled her off to an adjacent room.

"Well, I went to my mother s place. I thought I would be able to find something to help me with your sister." He was able to talk about Kasumi because he d tried taking the tea and using a picture of Kasumi earlier to see if it worked. Though it hadn t produced wonders, he had been able to suppress his baser instincts. That s why just talking about her was easier. He had yet to confront her, so he still may have problems. "It wasn t my intention to just run off. My main concern was that my father had been able to work with somebody of similar condition. It proved to be a successful trip, I might add."

"Oh? And how so, sensei?" If he had, then the relationship between her sister and the good doctor would continue in decent order.

"My mother remembered a similar case study my father had at one time. She gave me a tea to use and said that with it and time, I should be able to work out my problem."

Something didn t sound right with the story to Nabiki. "She just gave you a tea to use? As if it was stored in her house like some sort of medicine that was used on a regular basis?"

"Well, yes. Why?"

It was what she had figured. He d been given what would be considered a sugar pill. She wouldn t be the one to tell him about it. "I was just wondering. It seems that your mother is prepared for a lot of things, is all."

He looked at her curiously. Shrugging, he asked, "This visit isn t just to berate me about my sudden absence, is it?"

"Iie. You re invited to have dinner again with us tonight. Think you can make it?"

Thinking over his schedule, he found that he would be able to go. "It would be my pleasure. I won t be using sedatives this time, so I may be just a bit out of it, as you ve put it before. You all will have to put up with me, I believe. Will this be a problem?"

"I don t think so. Just do whatever you think you must before you come. It wouldn t do to have you suddenly skipping out of the house because of an innocent brushing of hands with Kasumi."

"I ll do what I can," he promised.

Seeing that her work was done, Nabiki left Dr. Tofu to his practice.

Later that night, when Dr. Tofu was finished with his day s schedule, he made his way to the Tendo dojo. When he knocked, the door was answered by Akane.

"Why, hello, Dr. Tofu. It s nice to see you here again. Please, come in." She stepped aside so he could enter. When his shoes were off, he was led into the dining room where everybody except Kasumi were waiting expectantly for the dinner to start. He d arrived just in time, he saw. Soun stood up, motioning to a place at the table for him to take. Akane went into the kitchen to help bring the food out. He noted that nobody was sweating at the prospect of whether or not Akane had cooked, so he relaxed after he realized he d tensed up.

He noted that where he was sitting was in close proximity to Kasumi. Right next to her, in fact. With a shaky breath, he took the proffered seat and waited.

The family and their guest didn t have much time to wait. Kasumi came out of the kitchen holding a large bowl of rice in one hand and a tray of sushi in the other. Akane brought out some tempura. They placed the food on the table. It was the last of what was needed for the meal, so they sat themselves down in their familiar seats.

Dr. Tofu began to sweat from the closeness of Kasumi. He could smell the sweet fragrance of her, which was driving him to distraction. His glasses weren t fogged up yet, but they were on their way. Soun noted the state his guest was in and decided to head if off with light banter.

As they talked of inconsequential things, Dr. Tofu found himself able to keep his mind from shutting down. Though, at times, he did have his moments. As Nabiki had hinted at earlier, an occasional brush with Kasumi nearly sent him catatonic. But he managed to control himself at the last moment, avoiding embarrassment and ruining the wonderful evening. During he entire meal, his palms were sweating and he was near to shaking uncontrollably from nervousness.

When they finished with the meal, both Akane and Nabiki made it so that Kasumi didn t have to do anything. Only to entertain their guest, of course. She protested lightly, but only out of a sense of duty. It was a feeble display, since she knew what they were up to and was grateful to them.

The couple retired to the family room, which happened to be empty. Soun had retired to some obscure place in the dojo. Akane and Nabiki were cleaning up after the meal and said they d be going to their rooms afterwards. That left only Kasumi and Ono together.

He was just a little nervous. They sat on the couch, him on one end and her on the other. She didn t want to be forward. That would be just a little out of line, as far as she was concerned.

Ono didn t know what to do. If he tried to go any further, he feared that he would lose it. His hold on his current state was not too great at the moment, as far as he was concerned. His glasses were slightly fogged, making it hard for him to see. Also, his mental faculties were about to go on a field trip if he didn t try to get ahold of himself.

That s why he wasn t capable of any coherent conversation with the woman.

Nabiki was watching from the doorway, her presence unnoticed by the two who were so focused on each other. There was nothing she could do at the time. With a wistful sigh, she went to her room. When she got upstairs, Akane confronted her, asking, "What are they doing now?"

"Just sitting there. I don t know what their problem is, but it s just a little irritating. I don t understand people sometimes," she admitted. The two had gone to great lengths to get near each other and they weren t doing anything.

"Give them time," Akane said. "It just takes a little to gather the tiniest bit of courage when they re put in the situation." How well she knew. She and Ranma had had their times, only to be interrupted or have the whole situation ruined by the wrong comment from either of them. Experience made one wiser, as most knew.

Meanwhile, Ono and Kasumi still hadn t said anything, only drinking in each other s presence. Kasumi took pity on the poor man and tried to strike up a conversation. "Did you find what you were looking for when you left for a few days?"

He started at he sudden break in the silence. "Why Yes, I believe I did. I needed something from my father s study in order to help somebody."

"How considerate. Going all that way for one of your patients." It warmed her heart that he was so giving.

He blushed, unable to respond coherently to her praise. Though it was for his benefit in the short term, it would eventually help their relationship, so his conscience wasn t affected. "Arigato. I I try to do what I can for anybody I can." He felt himself getting desperate. It was one thing to enjoy her company, but it was another to just talk about something silly. He wanted to know her a little more. Though he d known the family for years, he wanted to become intimate with Kasumi. There had to be something of a common ground they could talk about.

Looking about, he spied one of his books lying on the table. It sparked an idea. "How long have you been studying for the medical college entrance exams?"

Kasumi brightened, glad that there was something to talk about. "Why, since about I started to borrow some of your books. I ve always wanted to either become a registered nurse or a doctor. I m not quite sure yet."

In fact, she had started to borrow the books in order to go to college. After a while, though, she d begun to enjoy the singular humor of Dr. Tofu. That s when she would borrow books as much as she could, in order to see him. When Ranma had arrived, she d been told by Akane that it wasn t his normal behavior. It only happened when she arrived. That s when she d begun to suspect him. When his mother had come and had become adamant about the fact that he was quite capable of finding his own wife, she d become even more suspicious of his feelings.

The only problem was, she was raised with old-fashioned values and for her to pursue him would be improper. So, after all this time, it was now finally coming to a head. It had been a while since she d dated, so she was a bit rusty at the small things.

While she was thinking, Ono was admiring her through his peripheral vision. Seeing her thoughtful look, he dared not interrupt her. When she looked at him, he picked up the conversation once again. While she had been musing, he d thought of a plan to work on his problem and help her at the same time. "What would you say about helping me at the clinic? That way, you could see what exactly you re looking for. Every doctor could use a good nurse. If you decide to become a doctor, then you d have a little more experience than what other students do." He turned his head towards her, expectantly.

Being around him would be a pleasure, she felt. There was only one problem. "But I also have to take care of the household. Nobody else can really do the job. What am I to do?"

He thought for a moment. There was no solution at the moment, but he knew that one would present itself in time. "Well, you don t have to start now. We ll think of something." Looking at his watch, he found that it was getting quite late. He stood up. "I enjoyed this evening. Would you join me for dinner day after tomorrow?"

"Well ," she hedged. *The family can do without me cooking supper for one night,* she reflected. *Actually, Auntie Saotome is supposed to be teaching Akane to cook once again. It s the perfect time.* She stood with Ono, walking to the door with him. "I d like that. I ll see you day after tomorrow, then."

He let out the breath he d been holding. When they were finally outside, they stopped at the entrance to the dojo compound. They turned to each other hesitantly. Both of them found that their breathing had became labored with nervousness. A warm zephyr whirled around them, stirring Kasumi s locks. A few strands flew up to Ono s face, tickling his nose. He suppressed the urge to sneeze, much to the delight of Kasumi, watching his face strain with the effort.

Pulling her hair back behind her ears, she stunned him, once again, with her elfin features. He was close to losing it again, he knew, but wasn t concerned about that. It was time for him to take action this time. With an iron grip on himself, he leaned forward. Seeing him doing this, Kasumi did the same, closing her eyes.

Just as their lips touched, they felt a spark arc through their heads. Kasumi felt a warm flush across her cheeks. Ono, though, had finally succumbed to his clouded bliss. Stumbling away, he made his way through Nerima. Kasumi watched him go, admiring he way she had a hold of his heart, even to the present. With a wistful sigh, she headed back inside.

After two hours of wandering, Tofu Ono made it back to his clinic. It was nearing midnight and he was coherent once more. Stopping just outside his door, he looked up to the sky and thanked whomever had given him the chance for that night. Walking inside, he went to bed an even happier man because of the shooting star that had shot across the heavens, giving him his silent welcome.

The morning after she arrived, Cologne watched Ranma spar with Toshi. The first time she d seen Ranma hit Toshi had made her gasp in surprise. She knew full well that Ranma detested hitting women. She d been counting on that when it came to him fighting with Shampoo. He could subdue her without much effort, but he would have taken a longer time of it had he kept himself from trying to injure her.

She would need help on this endeavor, she knew. But who could she enlist to draw Ranma forth without suspicion? At least, not enough to make it so he would go running back for help in an instant.

Watching him throughout the whole day with an occasional break, she finally retired to her tent at dusk. She just happened to miss the late night star gazing that Ranma was enjoying.

He sat on the roof of the house, looking up. The slight scuffle of feet back and to his left warned him that he had a visitor. It could only be Toshi, he knew, as Eisei-sensei could walk quieter than even Ranma could on his best day.

She seated herself next to him cross-legged, looking up at the stars he was gazing at. It was clear out, making it even more of a breathtaking view. Without the lights of the city, the multitude of stars stared back down on them in massive numbers. Those that twinkled most prominently were what caught their attention the most, making them linger more than a brief scan.

Her sigh made Ranma look over at her. What he saw sitting in her lap made him stiffen.

She saw his reaction and felt a case of guilt. But it quickly passed. "I didn t take you for the sentimental type. So, who is she?"

The answer she got wasn t even close to what she had been expecting. "Who, the kawaiikune tomboy? She s nobody in particular."

It took Toshi a full minute to digest this. Ranma wasn t even looking at her anymore. Instead, he paid full attention to the stars above him, trying valiantly to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He really didn t want to be confronted on this subject. Snatching the offending box out of her hands would be sheer folly. That much he knew. Desperately, he thought of a way out of the situation.

"What s she look like?" It would take a little work, but she knew she d drag the information out of him. This mystery girl had her curious. And when she was in the mood, she could get pretty much anything out of someone.

Ranma shrugged his shoulders, casting a glance her way. "Well, for one, she s built like a stick. Dumb as a brick, to boot. Her thighs are so thick she can t even kick. Not much else." It was a familiar litany he used often, trying to repulse everybody from digging into his feelings. Rolling onto his side, he put his back to his antagonist.

Pulling the locks of hair out of the box, Toshi found that there were a few pictures that had been covered up. Taking them in hand, she looked closely at them in the moonlight. She held the silky hair in one hand as she held the pictures in the other. What she saw wasn t even close to what Ranma had been describing. Something was funny about this whole scene. Placing them back into the box, she asked, "Why are you so offensive? With a girlfriend that looks like this, you shouldn t be ashamed to talk about her or show her off."

By this time, Ranma didn t know whether to be righteously indignant or depressed. He d kept the hair after Akane had lost it when he and Ryoga were fighting. It was a symbol of his stupidity. Among other things. The pictures, however, were what he d taken from Kuno on multiple occasions. He d kept them because he wanted to have Akane wherever he went, even if he wasn t engaged to him anymore. It was a bit of sentimental rubbish, but he felt he deserved a little. Having someone go through his belongings was one thing. Dredging up the bad in his life was another. That irritated him to no end. "Look, I don t want to talk about it. Okay?"

It was starting to dawn on her why Ranma was so reticent. "That bad of a breakup, eh?"

Rolling over, he looked her in the eye. "Not even the half of it. We were engaged. Our parent s fault. Arranged marriage and all, ya know." He held her gaze for a silent moment before turning away and scooting closer to the edge of the roof.

When they d made eye contact, she d felt her heartbeat stop for a moment. The pain he d shown was almost a visible entity in its own right. In a low voice, she asked, "You loved her a lot despite that, didn t you? Did you ever tell her how you felt?"

She felt, more than saw, his entire frame stiffen. "Nah, I never told her. She didn t want to be married to a freak like me in the first place. She always thought I was some sort of hentai, anyway. Every time I turned around she was giving me hell."

"Why didn t you tell her how you felt and see where it went from there? If she didn t love you, much less like you, then you could get on with your life. It seems to me that the two of you never really talked about your relationship. I think that s where the both of you messed up."

"What would you know," came his stinging retort.

That stung her deeply. There was much she knew about that sort of thing, in fact.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, she said, "Something similar happened to me." Ranma turned around to look at her, listening her tell her story. "I followed my boyfriend to his new home, thinking he actually loved me, like he d said before he left. When I caught up to him, he said he only wanted to be friends. Before he left, he d professed his love and said that he d see me as much as possible. So, there is something I know about it. We weren t honest with each other. I really loved him and he didn t love me. If we d been honest from the start, then maybe I wouldn t have been hurt so badly later on.

"After I visited him is when I met Eisei-san. I was on my way back to the train station when I was accosted and Eisei-san brought me home to stay with him. That was a few years ago. I ve been here ever since. Not all is as it appears with people s feelings. We lie to ourselves and others all too often. I should have seen it, but I didn t want to.

"As for your fianc e, why wouldn t she care for you? You re a nice young man, even if you are a little rough around the edges. You can t judge a woman s heart. We re fickle at best. We love men for different reasons. Some are concrete while others are as flimsy as cobwebs. A lot of people say one thing and mean another. The way you described her at first defies how you really feel about her. Ever think that she did the same? Your curse isn t your fault, though it does take a bit of getting used to. It s not so bad if you think about it."

He grunted. "Tell that to her. She didn t like me even before we met. After she found out about my curse, she never let up. Whenever I got glomped on by one of my other fianc es, she d pound me. A lot of the time, she d change me and then punt me."

It took a moment for part of what he d said to be absorbed. Edging away, she asked, "Other fianc es? You aren t some sort of womanizing pervert, are you?"

Even in the moonlight, she could see his knuckles whiten as he clenched his fists. Her last comment had probably not been a wise thing to say.

"I m sorry. That was a little out of line. Care to explain?" She held her breath until he finally relaxed. He ran his hands through his hair, interlacing his fingers behind his neck and leaning his elbows on his knees.

Looking at the horizon, he said, "Yes, other fianc es. I didn t want any of them. It s just that things got blown out of proportion. Ukyo was an old childhood friend. Oyaji stole her father s yatai and left her, even though it was her dowry for our marriage. Akane s father and Oyaji had made arrangements long before that, so all he ended up doing was stealing the cart.

"Then there s Shampoo. A Chinese Amazon that I defeated twice. Once in girl form and then as a guy. She gave me the Kiss of Death the first time and then the Kiss of Marriage the next. When she came back, she brought an old mummy with her. I think they re up to their old tricks still. Haven t seen them for months, but Cologne s patient and crafty.

"Then there s Kodachi. She s some psycho who wanted me after I saved her. I happened to knock her off of a roof chasing after Ryoga." He shuddered. "It s not that I wanted them hanging all over me, it s just that I didn t know how to get rid of them without hurting anyone. I like Ukyo and Shampoo. As friends, though. Kodachi? I m only glad she s gone. I just Kinda hard to explain. Everybody thought I was stringing them along. I guess I was, in a way, but I didn t know how to handle it, since I grew up on the road and didn t have much contact with people. The only time I stayed in one place for more than a few months was when we moved into the Tendo dojo.

"Only after Akane and I were attacked when we were about to get married did I finally get fed up with them all. I told both Ukyo and Shampoo that I wasn t interested. Kodachi disappeared after the incident. From what Nabiki told us, her brother took her away. It still didn t help me with Akane, though."

"Well, with her rivals gone, her jealousy would have been tuned down, wouldn t it," she asked.

Ranma snorted. "Her? Jealous? That s a laugh. She s just angry all the time. At me, mostly." He felt a sharp slap to the back of his head. Turning around, he saw Toshi returning to her repose. "Whaddya do that for?" She didn t answer him. Shrugging it off, he turned back around.

Toshi just shook her head without answering his question. He had no clue about women, it seemed. It wasn t something she wanted to pursue, though. It held too many problems in its own right. "What made you two break up in the end?"

At her question, she saw him start glowing. His aura was showing a dark hue of blue. It cast an illumination about him, startling her a bit. Hanging his head, he said, "It s something I don t want to talk about. I ve said too much already as it is." She again felt as if his pain was a living being.

Holding up a picture to him, she pressed on in a lighter tone of voice. "You do have to admit, she is kawaii." She wanted to avoid getting him depressed tonight. It seemed that there were gaping wounds in his soul and she didn t want to be the one to cause an eruption tonight.

Taking the picture, he gazed at it. "No," he denied, warming to her prodding. "She s not kawaii at all." She looked at him for askance. "Her smile is, but she isn t. Beautiful is the word." Taking the box from her hands, he placed the picture back inside of it and closed the lid. Without saying another word, he stood up and leapt off of the roof, leaving Toshi to ruminate about the conversation.

She smiled at his last remark. At least he didn t lie to himself about how he felt for her. But there were a lot of undertones.

She didn t know why she cared, but she did. Seeing the young man so depressed struck a nerve in her. He needed to cleanse his soul, but was bottling up his feelings. It wasn t healthy for anybody to do that. Sighing to herself, she made her way off of the roof. There was no way she could help him recover fully. There was the chance, however, that she could help set him on the right course. It would be a hard job, but she felt that this good deed would be worthwhile.

*Maybe that s why I m here,* she thought. *Eisei-san trains him while I mend him. It s possible, I guess.* Shaking her head at her own impertinence, she descended and went to bed. She had a sparring match in the morning. Now was not the time to stress herself out when there wasn t anything she could do at the moment.

Unknown to both of the youths, a small figure listened intently until both were inside the house before pulling himself from under the eaves. He d heard everything they d talked about. He d spotted the box earlier when he d gone through Ranma s belongings, trying to see what he carried other than necessities.. When he saw what Toshi had in her hands when she d walked outside, he d found that it was a good chance that he d find out a bit more about Ranma. Slipping into his own room, Seijin sat down at his desk and made a few quick notes before going to bed.

The stars continued their vigilance above, winking to each other conspiratorially. 


	6. Chapter 6

From now on, I'm not gonna put any disclaimers. I think you know who owns what.  
>Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts ~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese *~* signifies Mandarin thoughts<p>LIVING LIFE ANEW<p>

CHAPTER VI

SEARCHING, FOCUSING AND FIGHTING

Akane sat in her room after dinner. She d not spoken to her father or Genma during the entire meal. She d been mildly annoyed that he still freeloaded from them, but had said nothing. The two were old friends, so it wasn t her place to judge or make demands of him. Shifting about on her bed, she looked out the window at the darkening sky.

Up until Ranma had come, she d been one of the best martial artists in Nerima. The bodies she d had scattered around her had been mute testimony to that. When he d come, she d been sloughed off to the side somehow. Without having the exercise in the morning before class for so long now, she was a bit out of practice in some ways. She didn t regret having the fights stop, but she wasn t pleased with the fact that she wasn t up to par.

She desperately needed somebody to spar with, since her father couldn t handle what she could dish out to him. She d heard that Ukyo was back, but she probably still had some bad feelings towards her because of the way she d treated Ranma. Shampoo was gone. There was no way she d try using her, anyway. The Amazon would probably use it as an excuse to maul her beyond belief. It was now just over four weeks into the summer and she was feeling like it would end with her moping about, which she didn t want to happen. She d been keeping in shape and all, but that grew tiresome after a while.

That didn t really leave anybody for her to spar with. *Well, there is Genma, but .* She mulled it over for a while. They d only sparred a few days ago, so she knew that he was still whole and hardy. He had been on a training voyage for over ten years, so he was still in pretty good shape, even after having settled down. He d practiced with Ranma almost every morning, so that showed that he was pretty good. Maybe. He was over at the dojo on a regular basis, too, so there was a chance she could separate him from her father for an hour or so. Playing board games all day long couldn t be healthy.

Listening intently, she could make out the voices from downstairs. One of them seemed to be the subject of her contemplation. Rising from her bed, she went downstairs to corner him.

Walking into the family room, she saw the two men at their favorite pastime. Cheating. She watched them for a while before speaking.

"Uncle Saotome?" He looked up at her with mild curiosity, trying to keep one eye on the board. Seeing that she had his attention, even if it wasn t undivided, she continued. "Would it be all right if I trained with you? You know I There s nobody around but you and father to spar with." She trailed off, since it felt a bit out of place making such a request.

Seeing her flounder, he looked over at Soun. With an uncharacteristic amount of seriousness, he asked, "Well, Tendo-kun? She s your student. It s mostly up to you if you ll allow it. It d be rude if I accepted without your approval."

"Hmmm," was his answer for a moment. Looking shrewdly between Akane and Genma, he contemplated the idea. "You have been keeping up with the Art more than I have of late. You ve also taught more recently than I have. Most of our sparring sessions have been just that, no real trading of techniques involved, really. Though the pounding has been decidedly one-sided." Akane had the temerity to blush. Looking at Akane, he missed the piece Genma placed on the board and the other two he took off, putting them somewhere in his gi. "Are you sure you want him to train you? His style is a bit different from our school s."

"Um .Yeah. I do. Besides, it s Anything Goes, right? How different is it? I mean, Ranma used to train with me all the time. I know a little, even if he didn t hit me."

He shrugged, looking over at Genma. They had a quick conversation that Akane missed entirely. After they d finished with raising their eyebrows and shrugging to each other, they turned back to her.

"I see no harm in it. Is there anything in particular you were wanting out of the training?"

She felt her heart racing. She d actually convinced them to do it without any effort. "Well, not right now. Doesn t he have to evaluate me first? You know, see where I m strong and weak? That way, he can know what to start with?"

Genma spoke up, saying, "I know fairly well how good you are. It shouldn t take me long to find out where you need to improve. We can start in the morning with a bout of sparring."

"Good," she exclaimed. Spinning around, she started for the stairs. Halfway there, she spun back around. "Arigato gozaimasu," she called back, finally allowing herself to race upstairs.

The two men looked at each other. "Ah, the vitality of youth," Soun commented. Genma nodded his agreement. When Soun looked back down at the board, he let out a startled exclamation. "How did this happen," he asked incredulously.

Genma tried to look innocent. **********

Cologne watched Ranma from the branch she was perched upon. He was alone. It was also just before the sun came up, making the air chillier than she cared for. It made her feel closer to her age, casing her bones creak like the branches that surrounded her.

Her breath clouded around her, partially obscuring her sight of him, but paid it no mind. Idly, she stripped a leaf with her fingernail, ruminating about the night raids she d been on in her youth. Those had been nerve-wracking at the time, but were now a fond memory. They had also taught her to remain still for hours on end, never alerting any of her enemies of her presence. Thus, she ignored the twinges that cropped up every now and then.

A bird nearby fluffed its feathers, trying to keep itself warm. Cocking its head toward her, it emitted a questioning chirp. When she didn t respond, it just hopped away to another branch with a disdainful look cast her way.

She watched Ranma for almost an hour, ensuring that this was one of the best times that he would be alone. It wouldn t do for her to be interrupted when she came back to take him away. Just as the sun was coming up, she saw him pause in the middle of a kata and watch it rise. Her keen hearing allowed her to hear him let out a contented sigh. She also watched the sunrise, admiring it. There had been many she d seen, and was pleased to watch the soft light slowly burn off the morning fog. She would be watching the sun rise in her homeland again soon. She knew why the Land of the Rising Sun was so aptly named and would appreciate the view while she could.

Deciding that her vigilance was ended, she leapt to the ground. She headed back to her campsite, were Shampoo was packing everything. The young woman had been surprised at them leaving after watching Ranma for only a total of two full days, being they d arrived in the afternoon and were now leaving in the morning. It was quite easy for Cologne to spot the times that Ranma would be alone, so it wouldn t be wise for her to dally.

The fire had been put out and covered carelessly. She struck Shampoo in the shin sharply, who let out a sharp hiss of pain, and pointed to the remains of the fire. Making sure that there was no evidence of their passage wasn t absolutely necessary, but she found that practice was necessary for Shampoo. The Ancestors knew that she could use it, since she d become soft from living in the land of barbarians for so long.

Hefting her own pack, which was more like a large pouch, she watched silently as Shampoo did as she had been bidden.

Everything was finally in order. Turning, she started down the path to the main road where it would lead to a train station. Speed was of the essence. She didn t know how long Ranma would stay with the old man, but she wasn t willing to take her chances.

Shampoo followed, casting a single glance back to where she knew Ranma was practicing. After having watched him, she now had mixed feelings about the venture. She had watched him, which was a torture in itself, without being able to touch or talk to him. But, seeing him so relaxed, compared to when she d left, she saw how much he truly loved his Art. He practiced almost constantly, making it harder for her to stay put and not start a sparring session with him. But he would probably end up running away at seeing her.

Her own heart brought some disturbing questions to her. Did she really want to have a husband that didn t love her, but would end up obeying her every whim only because she d enslaved him? The only thing he was truly passionate about was his Art, which would suffer if their plan succeeded. Did she want that to happen to him. She even knew his heart belonged to another. What would she do if she were in his position?

*Actually, I am in that position. I have Mousse pursuing me, driving me out of my mind. I just get madder and madder each time he proclaims his love to me. Was it that way with Ranma? It was apparent from the start he didn't want me. I only pursued him at first because of my honor. When Great-grandmother came back with me, I had to do it because of her honor, too. But, after a while, I came to love him, too. At least, I think I do. What will his reaction really be when he sees us show up, ready to take him? We ve tried so many times to get him to leave the Tendo family, but each failed. How is this one any different?*

With her heavy thoughts weighing her down, she trudged along behind Cologne. Ranma had been growing stronger while they had been away. It was apparent that his new sensei was strong, quite possibly up to Cologne s par. She wasn t as experienced as Cologne, the Ancestors knew, but she saw that the old man was quite powerful. It would be tricky trying to get Ranma without alerting the old man.

The Matriarch was oblivious of the turmoil behind her. It didn t really concern her whether or not Shampoo was willing to continue. Ranma would either be part of the tribe or dead. The Tribal Law demanded it. It had been set down several millennia ago. It flowed through her blood. Nothing or nobody would stand in her way. Even the Eternal Stalker, one name of many as she knew him, wouldn t be able to stop her in this venture.

The two made their way briskly to their destination, leaving their intended victim unknowing of their departure and ill intentions. **********

Akane groggily rolled over to look at the window as she heard some birds frolicking outside her window. It sounded like they were either fighting or playing tag with each other. She couldn t tell which. But she didn t like it too much. She was supposed to be sleeping. Turning, she looked over at her alarm clock. It only had three minutes before it went off. She growled low in her throat. The day usually sucked after something like that happened.

Reaching her arm over, she turned it off so she wouldn t have to hear its incessant clatter.

"Well, I guess I d better get up," she said to herself, stretching. Swinging her legs out, she placed her feet into her slippers and headed to her closet.

As she started to grab her stuff for bathing, she heard a knock at her door. Looking down at herself, she found she was at least mildly presentable. Answering the door, she looked out to see her Uncle Saotome standing there in human form.

"I ll meet you downstairs in five minutes," he said, before turning away and walking downstairs.

It took a moment to puzzle out why he would meet her downstairs. Then, on a sudden insight, she flashed to her wardrobe and grabbed her gi. Flinging her pajamas onto her bed and belting out of her room, she raced to the dojo for her sparring session with Genma. She was glad he hadn t woken her up like he did with Ranma. She d probably have pounded him before they had a chance to really spar.

He was waiting for her outside near the pond, sitting in a cross-legged fashion. Soun and Nodoka were sitting in the tea room with the shoji open so they could watch.

Stopping only a few meters away from him, she quickly began her warm-ups. It didn t take long before she was ready. She really didn t want an audience, but she wasn t about to be rude and tell them to mind their own business. When she finished, Genma stood up and assumed an offensive stance.

Taking his cue, she took a defensive stance. Suddenly, they started to circle each other, looking for an opening. Genma, as his stance indicated, struck out first. Akane parried the low leg strike by leaping over it, only to be hit by the return sweep. They traded several blows afterwards, ranging from low to high on the body. Genma managed to strike her in the arms and shoulders several times, whereas she struck at his stomach. Stepping back out of his reach, she assessed his movements, seeking more of an advantage with her shorter height.

Soun called out his encouragement to her. Not letting him distract her, she focused on Genma in front of her. All she had to do was get within his reach and that would hinder his movements, she knew.

Stepping in without getting knocked back out was the difficult part. They slid smoothly across the ground, trading blows. Seeing an opportunity, she ducked under a forearm strike and managed to grab ahold of his elbow, pulling herself in closer to his body. Using what she d learned from her father, she twisted his arm and grabbed his leg with her own, managing to overbalance him.

He rolled with the throw, clasping a hand to her wrist as their arms slid along each other s, dragging her along with him. She could do nothing but follow him because of his iron grip and the weight pulling on her. Just as she was over him, he coiled his legs and shot her up into the air.

Her arms moved about like a windmill and, with a startled shriek, she landed in the koi pond. Standing up, she saw that Genma was again in his cross-legged position, awaiting her return.

Her gi clung to her as she trudged up to him. Like a striking snake, he struck out at her from his reposed position. Taken by surprise, she leaped over him, trying to get out of his reach. Rolling across the ground, she managed to turn and stand, readying herself for another attack. She didn t have long to wait.

Again, they traded blows. They both started to sweat at the intensity they were going at each other with. The cool morning air would have chilled her wet body. But, with the exertions, she was starting to heat up, drying the cotton cloth, only to soak it with her own perspiration.

This time, remembering her previous mistake, she succeeded in sending Genma flying away from her with a throw. As soon as she let him go, she stood back up and charged him. Just as he was getting up, he was met by a flurry of kicks and was sent further back. With one final spin-kick, she sent him flying back into the koi pond.

Enraged, the panda leapt out of the water at Akane. With a shriek, much like the one before, she jumped back just in time to avoid the brunt of the impact. Desperately, she tried blocking the monstrous strength that bore down on her. She knew she only weighed a buck-o-five sopping wet, as the saying went. That made it difficult to counter the massive weight difference between her and the panda.

It was also known that bears of many varieties were capable of knocking the head off of a person, literally, with one swipe of their paws.

But Ranma had been able to withstand his father in this form. Why couldn t she? *Why am I comparing myself to him,* she wondered. But the answer came quickly to her. *Because he s about the best martial artist I know, besides Cologne or Happosai.* Though she hated admitting it, she knew it was true. It still didn t quell the spark of anger that it set off, since she had constantly been compared to him. She was still doing it, to this day. It riled her, since she didn t like being shown up. It showed that she was a sore loser, but she didn t care. Leaping to the fore, she started pounding on the panda, her battle aura flaring to life.

Genma-panda, upon seeing the battle aura, felt trepidation. He knew that something had set off the slight woman before him and wasn t willing to get pounded by her berserker rage. He d seen her do it many times and knew that, if unchecked, she would eventually cause serious injury to her opponent. He could take her, he knew, if it absolutely came to taking her down, but that wouldn t be prudent at this time. This called for other actions.

Leaping away, he made the sign that it was now time to quit.

Akane blinked at that. *Why is he stopping now? We ve only just begun.*

Genma-panda walked over to where his wife and friend were sitting, indicating that he wanted the tea kettle. Soun handed it over. After he changed, Genma walked over to where Akane was still standing in bewilderment.

"Akane-kun, you need to start controlling your temper. If you keep up as you are, you re not going to get much further in the Art." His tone showed his seriousness on the matter.

"WHAT?" Her voice held incredulity. When had her anger ever held her back? And who was he anyway?

"You heard me. As your instructor, for the time being, I m telling you that you need to start working on keeping your temper in check. You let your emotions get in the way of your abilities. You d be better today if you didn t get mad so often. It s reckless and could easily cause your defeat if you got into a serious fight. You need to keep a cool head, rather than flying off the handle."

Akane hung her head, letting the words pound on her. *He s right,* she grudgingly admitted to herself. Kasumi had made her promise not to strike out at anybody in anger, even in sparring. And she d broken that almost as soon as she d made the promise. How bad had she suffered in the Art from this? "I think I understand. Is Is there anything you can think of that will help me?"

Now Genma was stumped. He was good at assessing, but he couldn t form a plan for it at the moment. Thankfully, Nodoka walked up to help out.

She felt that her motherly insights would help somewhat. "You need to confront your anger and find out why you get mad, dear. Once you confront it, you ll be able to control it better." It was sound advice, even if it was a bit on the optimistic side. Many people needed to confront their fears and any other problem head-on but couldn t. Hearing the advice, Akane took it to heart, or at least tried to.

She had to do a lot of soul-searching in order to find out what exactly she had a problem with. Looking up at them, she said, "Arigato. I ll do my best." They smiled down at her, glad to have helped.

"Will we be continuing your other training, dear," Nodoka asked. She meant the cooking and other housewife duties, Akane knew. They d been slacking in that regard because of the failures that Akane had had, which caused her to have avoided the sessions with Nodoka for the past couple of weeks or so.

"Hai. Can we do it this afternoon? I want some time to think, if you would."

Nodoka smiled warmly. "Of course. You haven t been spending time with your friends lately, by what Kasumi has told me. Why don t you give them a call and go shopping or something?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Akane had to agree. She had been cooped up in the dojo for too long, ignoring her long-time friends. It d be good to go out and let the world go on hold for a brief time. Taking the suggestion at face value, she bowed her thanks and walked into the house to make some phone calls. **********

Mousse stepped off of the plane. He d only heard of the departure of Shampoo and her grandmother only a few days prior. Following them seemed an impossibility, but he d done it once before. He didn t want Shampoo going off after Saotome again. He d heard about their plans from several sources. Only missing them by a week or so wasn t pleasant. They could have accomplished what they d set out to do by the time he caught up to them.

Cursing to himself again, for the umpteenth time, for having gone to a sister village to stay with relatives instead of having stayed, he left the Tokyo airport. He lifted his pack to his shoulders, debating whether to take a cab or not. Pulling out his wallet, he looked at his meager amount of money and decided that it would be more prudent to walk. Looking up at the sky, he saw that it would start warming up considerably in a few hours, since there were no clouds.

That also meant that he d have a chance at not getting changed into a duck. That would hinder him, if nothing else did.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, he started off. As he passed an apartment complex, he heard an oath yelled out above him. Looking up, he winced. There was a splash. He dragged himself out of the pile of robes that engulfed him.

Since he couldn t curse in Chinese or Japanese, he managed to start cursing in duck. With several quacks at his assailants, he dragged his clothes and weapons into a nearby alleyway. Passers-by who had seen the change stared, avoiding him as if he were a plague carrier. They muttered amongst themselves in awe and fright. It wasn t every day that they saw a Chinese boy change into a duck, after all. If they d lived in the Nerima district, they wouldn t have commented, because there were many such occurrences.

Today did not bode well for Mousse, as he saw it. It would take some effort getting some hot water without becoming someone s dinner. **********

Ranma felt eyes on him. Turning, he saw that both Eisei-sensei and Toshi were waiting for him to finish his workout. Signaling that he was ready, they stepped forward.

"Morning, Ranma-kun," Toshi greeted cheerfully.

He smiled, saying "Yeah, sure. Think you re ready for a little more sparring this mornin ?"

Her smile seemed a little more forced now. It had been more like she d been his personal punching bag during their bouts. But he had held his blows in check, to her relief. "Whenever you are."

They squared off, Eisei-sensei walking to his usual place to observe and comment on occasion.

Ranma let her start off with the offensive. He allowed a few of the strikes to hit their target, giving her confidence in her abilities. It was an effort to keep his movements at a level where she could learn from her mistakes.

The entire match, he was cursing to himself because he was hating having to hit her. He d been doing it ever since she d managed to get him to strike her that first morning. He had to admit, even to himself, though, that she was improving from having landed blows. Being able to see what she did wrong when and where was something he hadn t thought of when he d sparred with other girls, only thinking that he d hurt them if he struck out.

Tiring of the defensive, he turned the tables in his favor. When she tried to hit him with an elbow jab, he stopped it with his forearm, grabbing with his other hand, and twisting her about. Unbalanced, she grabbed onto the hand holding her and stepped in, turning and striking.

Seeing the movement, he made his countermove, succeeding in putting her in front of himself. Grabbing her at the waist, he struck her with light taps to kidneys, keeping them from being damaging shots, but letting her know that she d been struck.

Releasing her, he stepped away and bowed. She returned it in kind. Again, they squared off. Relaxing his muscles, Ranma waited for her to initiate the attack. She tensed, throwing a low kick, quickly followed by a chest-high spin kick. As he ducked, he swung his own leg out, catching her at the ankle, dropping her to the ground.

She rolled away from him, only to find him on top of her with a flurry of light punches ranging from her shoulders to her hips in rapid succession. Not relenting, he drove her into the ground.

Suddenly, he stood straight up, his left arm swinging out. Toshi looked out from where her arms were hiding her head to find Ranma standing several feet away from her. He was tossing a pebble from one hand to the other. Eisei-sensei only smiled, glad that Ranma hadn t been too focused on his opponent to forget that there were other factors that could become an issue.

They sparred for the next half hour. He hadn t bruised her too much. On a previous occasion, he d been more enthusiastic and had made it so that she moved a little more stiffly than usual. That, in effect, had made it so that breakfast was later than what she normally made it at. And he had suffered. His stomach had told him in no uncertain terms that he was never to do that again. And he listened to it almost religiously.

He still hated hitting girls, though. Some things were so ingrained into him that it was hard to get out. But he would keep doing it anyway.

They bowed to Eisei-sensei, Toshi taking her leave of the practice field. When she was gone, Eisei-sensei walked up to Ranma, indicating that they sit. Seated on the packed earth, he asked, "How much do you know about ki?"

"Ano," he hedged, thinking. "Ki is the spirit. A person s ability to use it stems from how close they are with themselves. In order to use the spirit outside of the shell of the body, one must master the body. Then, to be able to become capable of manipulating the spirit, one must master the mind."

"That is true. Are there any other abilities than ki that you know of?"

"Not that I know of." He knew that this was going somewhere, but didn t know where exactly. Humoring him, he asked, "Are there other elements that can be used outside of the body, mind, and spirit?"

Eisei-sensei s eyes shown, delighted with the fact that Ranma might actually have some intelligence. Maybe he d get him to start working on strategy with him later on. It was an idea. "Yes, there is. There are many forms of energy that can be used. The one I want to talk about is what flows around us constantly. It s what the world produces. With all of the living things on the world, this planet has brought forth its own spirit. Only a few are able to see it. And fewer still are able to manipulate it."

It didn t sound much like a martial arts move to Ranma, but he decided that the old man was going somewhere with it, so he listened. "You mean to say that the earth has a ki-like energy that can be used?"

"Hai. I want to see if you would be able to at least see it, if not manipulate it,. Have you been practicing the meditation exercise?"

"A little," Ranma admitted.

"You haven t found your center yet, have you?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Ranma s confession. Having him admit his faults would lead to more improvement.

"Not quite. I thought I was getting there a couple of times yesterday."

"Don t worry. You ll get it eventually, I believe. What I want you to do is pretty much the same thing. You need to go into a trance-like state for now. I want you to just feel everything about you. First, though, I want to demonstrate what it is I m talking about." Standing, he walked a few paces away from Ranma.

As Ranma watched, he saw tendrils of energy snaking out of the ground, slowly making their way to Eisei-sensei. Peering closer, he noticed that the energy was quite similar to what he pulled forth for his Moko Takabishi and what Ryoga used for his Shi Shi Houkodan. As the energy gathered, Eisei-sensei brought his hands together, collecting the spiritual energy between them.

With an inarticulate yell, he released the ball of ki into the atmosphere.

"It s a bit easier than it looks, really. I did it quite slow so you could see exactly what was happening. I ll show you again, so that you can see just how fast one can pull in the energy."

And, at combat speed, he drew in the energy. Ranma wouldn t have caught the tendrils that shot up to Eisei-sensei if he hadn t been watching as intently as he had. Even with his abilities in speed, he still had trouble catching everything.

*If I can do that, then my Moko Takabishi would be awesome,* he thought in awe.

Again, Eisei-sensei shot the ki into the air where it would cause no harm. "Do you see, now, how that was done?"

"Yeah. It s pretty close to what I do when I pull in the energy for one of my ki spheres. I just don t see how you can pull it in exactly."

"Think of it as if you were pulling in your own ki, only that you were pulling in a lot more. Hmmm." He paused for a moment, trying to remember the way he d been taught so many years ago. "Try extending your ki out and then pulling it back in. It should help in getting the feel of what is around you. A word of caution, though. I ve shielded this training area from most of the energy around the volcano. Anywhere outside of my personal domain is likely to fry you, literally. If you try drawing in the ki energy without having mastery of it, the energy will flow through you and turn you into char. Remember this." His look brooked no nonsense.

"I will, sensei," Ranma, assured him. The seriousness that Eisei-sensei exhibited set him back a little. It wasn t a threat he d been given, only a word of caution for his very life, which he would take very seriously.

Seeing that Ranma understood, he continued. "I want you to practice this until lunch. No other activities. By that time, you should be able to at least feel the energy around you. Maybe you ll even be able to find your center in the meantime."

Ranma shrugged, simply saying, "Okay." He sat down, focusing his mental energies inward.

Eisei-sensei walked off to his garden to await breakfast and think. **********

Akane, Sayuri, Yuka, and Sofi sat at a table in the shopping district. They d managed to get together for once. A few of their other friends had other things to do, but the four were able to go out. When they d met up, it had been an overwhelming vote to go boy watching. They were now sitting outside of a kissaten watching who came in and out and who walked by, enjoying their sodas in the meantime. They d been at it for the past ten minutes.

Sayuri watched one boy walking by, commenting, "Look at that cutie. I wish I was his girlfriend. Then he could rub those hands all over me." At the time, he was walking with a girl, lightly running his hand up and down her back.

"Yeah, too bad he s taken though," Sofi interjected. Looking around, she pointed at another boy, this one alone, though. "Why don t you go ask him if he can run his hands all over you?"

The girls giggled, Sayuri blushing and shaking her head furiously.

Sofi looked over at Akane. "What s the matter over there? Cat got your tongue? You haven t picked out any of the guys yet."

Akane sniffed disdainfully. "They re just not my type," she said haughtily.

The other three girls crowded together, whispering amongst themselves. When they broke apart, they stared at Akane intently before grinning broadly. "So, what is your type," Yuka asked.

With all of the attention on her, Akane felt that things had suddenly turned for the worst, at least for her. She started backing her chair up. There was no escape for her, however, as she bumped her chair into the wall behind her and the others cut off any other escape. "Eeto " Looking around, she saw that they were expecting an answer. "Well, I like guys that are cute, sure. They have to be well-built, not some wimp like the guys you have been picking out. And, well they have to be a good martial artist. That way we can spar." She blushed at their scrutiny of her.

There was a collective hmmm from them.

Sayuri was the first to speak. "So, he has to be some hunk who can beat the tar out of just about anybody he comes across while he s sweeping you off of your feet at the same time."

Akane thought about it for a moment, nodding after a while.

"Sounds like you already had that," Sofi said. Akane looked at her curiously. "You had Ranma. He had all those qualities. And you let him go." Akane just looked away.

"If you re so hung up on him, why don t you just go jump him the next time you see him," Yuka taunted. The others laughed, seeing Akane blush even more. "If you don t, I just might."

"Don t you dare," Akane cried out. Realizing what she d said, she shrank into her seat, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Oooh, she still has the hots for him," Sofi teased.

"No I don t," Akane denied vehemently.

Yuka started looking about frantically, saying, "Is that Ranma over there?" When she saw Akane trying to look, she pointed a finger at her accusingly. "See? You are still hung up on him." Sayuri and Sofi added their own laughter.

"So what if I am," challenged Akane. "He s still an insensitive jerk, though."

Seriously, Sayuri said, "He s got too many other good points to let that be a bad point, ne? I mean, how many times did he go off to save you? How about the times he stood up for you when you weren t around? Too many to count, if you ask me." Mischievously, she quipped with, "He s got a cute butt, too."

"What do you mean by that," Akane asked, ignoring her last comment.

"What she means is, he s got too many good things in his favor to let him being an insensitive jerk bring him down. You let a good thing get away when you threw him out, you know," Yuka explained.

Seeing that the mood was getting a bit darker than what they d set out for, Sofi changed the subject. "So, you guys looking forward to going to college in a couple of months?"

Akane gave her a thankful look, receiving a wink in return.

As they started talking about college, they meandered back and forth between how boring it would be in class and how the night life would be. **********

Eisei-sensei was in his garden cleaning out the koi pond when there was a dull explosion. The ground shook slightly beneath him. Cursing in several languages, he raced up to the training ground.

Toshi, on the other hand, was just finishing breakfast. She felt the house shake, the windows rattling. Bracing herself, she looked about fearfully. After she turned off the stove, she went outside to see what else might be going on. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she saw Eisei-sensei sprinting up the hill. Alarmed, she followed.

They arrived to see Ranma just picking himself up, looking the worst for wear. His shirt was in tatters, the edges singed with small trails of smoke wafting around his torso. He looked completely dazed.

Everything was slowly coming out of a blur for him. Seeing some movement to his left, he turned to find the fuzzy images of both Eisei-sensei and Toshi looking at him. He smiled wanly. "Ano I think I overdid it a bit there," he said, before collapsing into unconsciousness.

It was Toshi who acted first, since Eisei-sensei was still gaping in astonishment at Ranma s comatose form. She ran to the injured martial artist, seeking his vital signs. Seeing her move, he came out of his reverie and helped drag Ranma into the house where they could administer first aid to him.

After ten minutes of taking care of Ranma in the house, he finally came to. He turned his head groggily, peering about himself with bleary eyes. "That didn t feel too good."

Seeing that he was conscious, the two crowded around him. "Are you going to be okay, boy," Eisei-sensei asked. Ranma nodded marginally. "You never cease to amaze me. Can you remember exactly what happened?"

Pulling the damp cloth from his forehead, Ranma sat up. "Hai. I was doing as you said when I suddenly felt a rush of power. Before I knew it, I had a ball of ki energy forming between my hands. I didn t expect it, so it ended up exploding in my face." He winced, holding his head in between his hands. "And now I have this big headache."

"I imagine you do, being you were at the center of a rather large explosion. It could have been worse, you know." Eisei-sensei sat back away from his student, seeing that Ranma would be all right.

Toshi, however, wasn t so easily placated. "What were you doing messing with explosives?"

The two men looked at her, bewildered. "I, ah, wasn t messin with explosives at all," Ranma explained. "It was a ki sphere that exploded in my hands. That s all."

It was Toshi s turn to look confused. "Ki sphere? What s that?"

Ranma looked over at Eisei-sensei, asking, "She s been living here for how long and she doesn t know about ki manipulation?"

The old man smiled, abashed. "It never came up. She couldn t master any of it yet, if ever, so I never broached the subject."

"But I ve been here for how long and she hasn t seen me practice with ki?" Turning back to Toshi, who was looking back and forth between the two men in puzzlement, he proceeded to explain. "Ki energy is something that only a few people are able to use. It s the spirit, really. You ve seen movies where guys can throw this ball at somebody, right?"

She shook her head in the negative. She wasn t really partial to martial arts movies of any kind. She was only learning the Art only because of where she lived and because of a prior experience.

"Let s go outside and I ll demonstrate." He looked over at Eisei-sensei, who nodded. When they made it outside, he stood a few feet away from Toshi. "What I do is, is draw in from my spirit and focus it in between my hands." He formed a ball of energy between his hands, as he said it. "Then I can release it and let it hit something or try to dissipate it. It s just easier to let it go, though." Aiming into the sky, he released the ki sphere, yelling, "Moko Takabisha."

Eisei-sensei looked at him curiously before shaking his head. "You really don t need to yell anything when you do it, though," he explained to Toshi.

She was gaping at what Ranma had just done. To her, it was magic. And now she d just seen the impossible. She was trying to deny what she d seen vehemently, but to no avail.

Then Eisei-sensei s curiosity was getting the better of him. "How did you learn it so fast," he asked. "You can t seem to center yourself, but you can draw in energy?"

Ranma looked down at his feet, shuffling them about. "Well, I kinda thought of it like I did when I learned my Moko Takabisha. It wasn t so hard, really."

"Hmmm. Do you think it s because of your dual nature?"

Ranma was caught off guard by the question, looking up at him sharply. "I don t think so," he denied. "I use my confidence to bring the energy forth. Nothin to do with my girl side."

"Actually, I think it might be because of that," Eisei-sensei replied. "You see, females are more in touch with themselves, usually. That s why I think you had an easier time touching the earth s ki than I did when I learned how to."

Ranma ground his teeth. "It s got nothin to do with my girl side. It s me and my male side alone. Nothin else, ya hear?" The two almost took an involuntary step back from his passionate response. He tried calming himself.

Trying to head off Ranma s growing anger, Eisei-sensei turned the subject away from the delicate musings. "Would you be able to bring in a large amount and hold it for a little while? I want to see just how much you can draw forth at one time."

Taking the change of subject at face value, Ranma nodded. He stepped further away from the two, stopping several meters away. Bracing himself and raising his arms before him, away from the two, he started gathering the ki from the earth, not allowing any of his to enter the equation.

As he drew the energy forth, he started sweating. It was difficult drawing forth so much power. The sphere was up to a basketball-sized sphere and still growing. After a full minute of drawing it forth, he finally released the wrecking ball-sized sphere up into the air. Ranma slumped to his knees, breathing raggedly. Looking up, he asked, "Was that good enough?"

"Simply amazing," Eisei-sensei said. "Why don t you rest up a little. I m sure that took a lot out of you. Ah, Toshi, why don t you fix up an extra portion for Ranma? He ll be needing it, I believe."

Toshi nodded wordlessly, entering the house. Eisei-sensei helped Ranma up, drawing him into the house where he could rest easier. The younger man didn t even bother commenting. He was too exhausted after having had an explosion in his face and drawing so much power that he could have leveled a skyscraper with one shot. But the young man didn t know that at the time. He just knew he was very tired and very hungry. **********

Ryoga trudged alongside the road, not bothering to look up until he came to an intersection. Without looking about, he yelled, "Where the hell am I now?" It wasn t with the volume he d used in the past, but it made due for the time being. Turning about, he spotted several men working in a rice paddy. He fervently hoped that he could get directions from someone.

Walking up to them, he asked, "Could you tell me where Tokyo is?"

One man looked up from his work, giving Ryoga a once-over. Pulling his cap off, he wiped his brow, replying with, "Yer kinda on Okinawa, sonny. You need to get back onto the main island of Japan in order ta git there."

"Oh. I see. Sorry to bother you, sir." Turning back around, Ryoga started heading south. The man blinked.

"Strange days, these," he commented to no one in particular. One of his compatriots agreed with him before they went back to work.

"When I find you, Akane, I ll tell you everything. I only hope you can forgive me my transgressions," Ryoga said aloud. He d gotten lost again, but that was no surprise to him. He almost started to blame his problems on Ranma, but refrained from doing so. It wasn t fair to do that.

He continued his journey. **********

Ukyo was working at the grill when someone, who she d never thought to see again, walked into her restaurant. The late morning crowd was low at the time, so she had time to walk up to him.

"How s it going, Mousse," she asked.

The myopic Chinese Amazon peered at her closely before replying. "Ah. Hello, Ukyo. I m doing okay at the moment."

"Why don t you sit down and tell me why you re back in Japan?" She had an inkling of an idea, since he had a one-track mind. If she didn t know any better, he was searching for Shampoo. She hadn t seen the Chinese trio for months. Seeing Mousse now only meant that Shampoo wasn t too far away, or wouldn t be for long.

Mousse followed Ukyo to the bar without comment. Sliding around, Ukyo went back to cooking, whipping up a okonomiyaki for Mousse. She waited patiently for him to finish before she started wringing out the story from him.

"What are you guys up to now? Last I heard, all of you went back to China."

"I was sent to a neighboring village as soon as I got back. It was a punishment for some of my actions here. Cologne set it up to where I d be stuck there until she had her plans set up. I d just made it back to Jozenkuzeko a little after they d left. I followed them here, but I lost them as soon as I left the airport here in Tokyo."

"Well, I haven t seen or heard about her since the three of you left months ago. What was she doing all this time?"

Mousse looked down at the counter, debating whether or not he should continue. *I might need help. She d do it. I know she would.* "She s come back for Ranma. She feels that he went too far last time he confronted her, so now she s going to either take him by force or kill him." He heard Ukyo gasp. "I m not sure if she ll go that far, but she is obsessed with it. Will you help me find her?"

"If she thinks she s gonna take Ranchan, she s got another thing comin . Sure, I ll help." Ukyo looked about her. She could close after the lunch rush. "Help me out here until lunch is over and I ll close up. After that, we can go looking for her."

"Where do you think we can start?"

"Well, Ranchan isn t around here. He went on a training trip, so she might look over at the Saotome s first or the Tendo s. She doesn t know about him and Akane breaking up, so she ll probably think that he s still staying there, too."

Mousse looked at her quizzically. "They broke up?"

"Yeah. Our violent little Akane got mad at him and called off the engagement. She did a real number on Ranchan, too. He was pretty broken up about it." Her face practically glowed with anger. "I m still a little mad at her. Ranchan made his choice. And I m not going to tell him I told you so like others would. He s had too rough a time as it is."

Mousse nodded. He d seen what Ranma had gone through to finally get Akane, but that was in the past. It was his duty to save the young martial artist from Cologne, even if he was a rival for Shampoo s affections. Nobody should be subject to what Cologne had in store for him. He stood up, going around the counter and entering the kitchen. He d help out with cleaning dishes before they closed up the restaurant. *********

Ranma woke to the smell of food. Sitting up, found that he was shirtless, the burn marks having faded from his body. He saw that he was in the family room.

Stiffly, he stood up and followed the smell of food to the dining room where both Eisei-sensei and Toshi were sitting, enjoying the meal. They looked up at him, only smiling at him, considering how he d been awoken.

"How long have I been out," he asked.

"Since before breakfast. This is lunch. Care to join us," Toshi asked.

Ranma s only reply was to sit down in his seat, looking about, debating what he should take first. Decided, he dug in.

"Do you normally learn new techniques so fast," Eisei-sensei asked. Ranma started to reply with his mouth full, but a glare from Toshi stopped him short.

Swallowing, he said, "Well, I ve been training all my life. Oyaji started training me pretty much since I could move on my own. I ve only started learning at a faster rate in the past few years. Don t know why, really." He shoveled some more rice into his mouth.

"Hmm. Could it be because of the level of training that you re at now?" Ranma cast a questioning glance at him. "What I mean is, since you seem to have mastered your mind, body, and spirit, do you think that this has added the ability to learn faster?"

Ranma thought about it for a moment as he chewed. Tapping his chopsticks on his bowl, he replied, "It could be. I mean, I started really learning some of the good stuff when I moved to the Tendo dojo. When Cologne came, she started giving me training in Amazon Kung Fu."

Eisei-sensei raised his eyebrows. He d noted some of the styles Ranma displayed, but hadn t recognized any of them as Kung Fu, much less Amazon. "What, exactly, did you learn from her?"

"Well, she gave me speed training. That s where I get my Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Then there s the Hiryu Shoten Ha."

There was a pregnant pause as Eisei-sensei filtered the information into what he knew about Ranma already. "Did she teach you anything else?"

"A few techniques here and there. Nothing else I use, really. Only once in a while, though. I m not much for Kung Fu, since I prefer Kenpo, Ninjitsu, jujitsu, and a few others."

"I see " ( said the blind man to his deaf wife as he picked up his hammer and saw.)

Toshi swallowed the lump in her throat. "You mean, you know all those?"

Ranma looked at her slyly. "Sure. Wanna see some of them sometime?"

The way Ranma was looking at her made her want to edge back. Fighting the feeling, she said, "Maybe."

With a smirk, he said, "Any time." Turning back to Eisei-sensei. "You got any other neat little tricks up your sleeve? I think I got that one down pretty well." To demonstrate, he pulled in a little ki, juggling the ball between his hands. Toshi looked a little paler.

"Maybe how to diffuse your ki without hurting yourself or anybody else in the meantime. It s not good practice to play when you re trying to eat, either." Ranma had the temerity to look abashed. "Why don t you shoot it at me? I m fairly certain I can take care of it."

Ranma let the ki shoot towards Eisei-sensei, who met it with a ki blast of his own. Ranma and Toshi watched both spheres cancel each other out.

Eisei-sensei went back to eating, followed by the youngsters.

When they finished, Ranma helped Toshi with the cleaning up. Putting the last dish away, Ranma asked, "Wanna spar a little?"

Toshi looked at Ranma, gauging him. Seeing that his intents were genuine, she agreed. They walked out to the training area.

"Why don t you show me some of that stuff you were talking about?"

Ranma smiled. "Sure. Remember what I demonstrated to you just before we started sparring?" Toshi nodded. "That s the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. I picked up a ki technique just a few days before I got here that speeds me up even more. Here, let me show you."

Walking up to a practice dummy, he gathered his own ki and performed the technique that would speed him up immensely. In the blink of an eye, he felt his reflexes double. Nibai no Sokudo Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" (Nibai no Sokudo = double rate of speed)

The practice dummy didn t stand a chance against the onslaught of rapid punches that Ranma inflicted upon it. There was a large puff of dust surrounding Ranma before he stepped away. Curiously, Toshi asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Well, it s mainly to distract my opponent, as well as for me to focus on what I m doing. Usually, when somebody hears a yell, they re startled a bit. I use it to my advantage. It s helped me against Ryoga lots of times."

"Who s Ryoga?" That s a name that she hadn t heard Ranma speak in the time he d been staying with them.

"A guy I met up with in junior high. We fought for about two years or so until I finally gave him what he wanted. After that, he only spars with me, rather than being out for blood."

"Ah, what did he want, exactly?"

"Just a match to settle an old score. Since I won fairly, he had no choice but to give up on it all. It s been peaceful ever since."

"Lucky you. What happened to him afterwards?"

"Oh, he went to his fianc e s and they re supposed to get married sometime. If he can ever show up to it on time, that is. He has a bit of a problem getting from one place to another, you see," Ranma explained.

"Ah." It sounded like a subject she didn t want to pursue, or shouldn t. "You ready to spar? I have a few things to do before I start making supper." Ranma s readiness showed by him adopting a relaxed stance. Taking her cue, she took one of her own.

Ranma lazily dodged all of her strikes. Leaping over her, he tapped her on the back of the head. She turned, swing her legs low, trying to trip him. Her leg hit his legs, but didn t send him anywhere. With a combination of strikes, Ranma sent Toshi to the ground.

Panting, she got up, holding her tender ribs. "Ano Sorry bout that, Toshi. I hit a little too hard there, ne?"

Toshi shook her head in the negative. "That s fine, Ranma. I need to know how to take a beating if I m ever going to get better. You did the same when you were little, didn t you?"

Ranma stared off into space for a moment, reminiscing on the sparring matches his father had had with him. At the end of them, he d been barely able to move. He nodded his agreement. "That s another reason I don t want to hit girls. What I went through was rough. It hurts and you want it to stop. I never liked it one bit I see your point, but I still don t like it," he reiterated.

Her eyes narrowed fractionally. "If you re ever going to teach women," she stressed the women, "you need to be able to show them how to deal with pain during a fight. Otherwise, they ll fall at the first real blow that their opponent lands. Get it through your thick head, Ranma. It s a fact of martial arts. Women do it, too."

Ranma hung his head. "I m sorry, but it s just what was pounded, literally, into me since I was small. Kinda hard to get rid of."

Toshi softened a bit. "It s okay, Ranma. You just need to learn how to deal with it. Did you ever spar with Akane?" Seeing him off of his guard, she sent a series of kicks at him.

Ranma visibly reacted to the question by jerking, as Toshi could see, even as he dodged her. She d intentionally asked it of him, seeing what he would do. "No. I only dodged around her. I never wanted to hit her. Ever." He sent a barrage of rabbit punches to her abdomen.

"Well, next time you spar with her, why don t you try doing it like we are now," She grunted out as she took the hits. She sent her own attack.

Ranma thought about it for a moment, absently avoiding her strikes. He was annoying her immensely by doing so. He remembered her constantly pestering him to hit her. If he ever did, he d probably gotten smashed because she would get mad because he d actually done it. *Boy, I d like to see her face if we ever do. It ll totally surprise her.* Smiling, he said aloud, "If we ever do, that is."

Seeing an opening, he launched a full-out attack on her. The next thing she knew, Toshi was lying on the ground, contemplating how the dirt was fairly compact, yet had cushioned her impact. It was a stray though. Picking herself up, she bowed to Ranma, who bowed back.

"I think that s enough humiliation for me in one day. I need to do some housework before I start supper." Stiffly, she walked to the house, Ranma watching her until she was out of sight with an amused expression on his face.

"You two seem to be coming along well," an observer commented behind him.

Without turning, Ranma rejoined with, "She has some valid points. Each time I try making one my own, she knocks it down. What she hasn t got in skill, she has up here," he said, tapping his head.

"How right you are. When she first came here, she was pretty messed up. Over time, she s accepted more about herself, much as you are lately." Ranma turned around, seeing Eisei-sensei sitting on a post, his hands clasped behind his back. "I ve also noticed that you haven t been practicing in your girl form at all. Why is that," he asked.

Ranma looked everywhere but at Eisei-sensei. "It s It s not me. I don t like the curse whatsoever. I ve been stuck in it a few times and I never liked it one bit. It " He couldn t finish.

Seeing Ranma hesitate, Eisei-sensei finished for him. "It scares you that you ll get stuck in it and never get out of it?" Ranma nodded wordlessly. "There is that possibility. But you have to learn how to accept it. It s only a curse if you think of it as such. You even admitted that it had its good points at times. You have a better accuracy and some more speed in that form." Ranma sat down, idly tossing a rock from one hand to the other.

"Yeah, well I ve had to fight some pretty big battles in it. I m good in it, but I prefer staying a guy."

"I m sure you do. But you also need to accept your alternate self fully. Until you do, you may never be able to fully center yourself. When I asked you if you thought that how you learned the ki drawing technique was linked to your duality, you didn t seem to like the question. Truth be told, I ve seen women draw more than most men can without even trying, really. It s more because of how they view the world."

"But I m a guy. I see the world as a guy does. Not as a girl."

"Hmmm. There is that. But there s a connection between the female spirit and the world around us. They have more of an ability to empathize with their surroundings than men are. They feel more, rather than how men will react to their surroundings."

"So You re sayin that, since I turn into a girl, I feel more of what s around me? How can that be?"

Eisei-sensei thought for a moment. "Let me ask you this. How complete is your change physically?"

Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "Ano It s Ah Total."

The old man looked at Ranma thoughtfully. "Total, you say. Do you ever feel yourself acting similar to a girl?"

Ranma looked a little green. "Hai. A lot of times. It seems to come natural when I m in that form. It scares me a lot of the time," he admitted.

"I m sure it does. The female psyche is also affected by their biology. It also means that they re more in touch with themselves than men are, too. I d like to have you train in that form a little more from now on, if that s not too much to ask. It ll help me to train you better, too, since I ll know more about your abilities."

Ranma looked at Eisei-sensei, considering. *I ve been stuck in it a few times for a while. Guess it wouldn t hurt. If I do get stuck in it again, I might be better prepared.* Ranma nodded.

Sighing, Eisei-sensei hopped off of the post, his hands still behind his back. "I m glad you re willing to do this. If you can get past thinking of it as a curse, you might actually see it as a benefit to you. You have what no one else has. A second identity you can fall back on, much more than just changing your hair style or something similar."

Ranma smiled. "Well, I have used it to get a few things."

Eisei-sensei cast a questing glance at Ranma. "And such would be?"

"Ice cream," he said, laughing. "For some reason, guys can t resist giving me an extra scoop or two for free."

Hearing this, Eisei-sensei joined in the laughter. "Well, the closest ice cream stand I know of is a good hour s walk from here, I believe," he said.

Then he grinned evilly. Ranma didn t notice the change.

There was a blur. Before Ranma could move out of the way, he was splashed with a bucketful of water, instantly activating the change in gender. He let out a startled yelp, the pitch changing in the middle of it.

"Let s spar for a little while now, young lady."

Ranma-onna s eyes narrowed, nodding her head. *Old man s gonna pay for that,* she thought. With a loud kiya, she launched herself at her sensei. And the battle was joined. **********

Kasumi sat down carefully. She looked at her Auntie Nodoka with trepidation. *My poor kitchen,* was her only thought. She d just been informed that she wouldn t be cooking dinner that night. And that was only the start. Though she didn t mind Auntie Nodoka cooking, it was who would be accompanying her during that period.

If she d known earlier, she would have had a plausible excuse to be absent from the house. A trip to the market to do some shopping. There, she d have an excuse to eat at a restaurant, saying that a friend had invited her over for some dinner.

Normally, she wouldn t be sly about being absent from the house for a few hours, but she dreaded the times that Akane cooked. There had been many times that she d come home to find her kitchen destroyed by her little sister. She d wanted to strangle her, but had put on her customary smile, which was so hard sometimes, and clean up as best as she could.

Truth be told, she was beginning to dislike putting on that false smile. She d done it so often in the past few years that everybody thought that she was an airhead. Which, in fact, was a total falsehood. She was able to control herself so well after having imitated her poor, departed mother for so long. But her nerves were beginning to become threadbare after all the abuse they d been getting, especially of late.

It wasn t that Akane was a bad cook. Not really, she tried consoling herself It was just that she wouldn t concentrate on what she was doing long enough to see that she was denting pots, destroying cutting boards, and ruining anything else in reach.

*I ve replaced five cutting boards in the past two months,* she wailed to herself mentally, all the while with the soft smile plastered to her face.

Nodoka watched Kasumi carefully. She was aware of the fact of Kasumi s mental state, since she d spent much of her time in the kitchen talking with the younger woman. She d displayed her intelligence to her often enough that she wasn t fooled by the false smile at all.

And she was able to see through this one quite clearly. It was time to get her out of there, and fast.

"Okay, Kasumi dear. You need to take a break, I see. Why don t you call your doctor friend and go out for dinner?"

The suggestion made Kasumi s heart flutter. But that was stamped on quickly after she gave it thought. "But I can t, Auntie. It s not proper. What would he think?"

Nodoka s eyes narrowed. She d forgotten how old-fashioned that Kasumi was. She was, too, but she needed to get Kasumi out of the house before she broke down. "Nonsense, dear. This is the nineties. It s what girls are supposed to do nowadays. It s not really a new concept, either. You don t really have to ask him out. Just drop a few hints that it would be nice to go out tonight."

It was an interesting suggestion. Then she remembered something. "But I m supposed to go over to his place tomorrow so he can make dinner."

"That s no problem. Why don t you say that you want to go watch a movie that s playing tonight. It s not so hard, dear. As I said, drop a few veiled hints and he ll come around. If he s truly interested in you, he ll jump on the chance to go out with you."

It took a while before Kasumi accepted the idea. "Hai. I ll do it."

Nodoka sighed. One disaster avoided. Getting Akane to keep the kitchen in one piece would be the next. She d already cornered both Genma and Soun with her katana, telling them that they would be around when Akane finished dinner.

Kasumi walked to the phone, dialing the familiar number. After a few rings, it was picked up by Dr. Tofu.

"Hello. Ano Are you free tonight?" A response to her question. She looked at Nodoka for support. Finding it, she continued. "Would it be okay if we went out to a movie tonight?" "Really?" "An hour?" "Okay. I ll be ready by then." She let out an explosive breath as soon as she hung up.

Nodoka squeezed Kasumi s shoulder. "Now, was that so hard, dear? Why don t you go get ready? Take a bath and pick out something nice to wear. Don t worry about anything. I have two strong backs to help me out when we re done."

That seemed to mollify Kasumi a little. Nodding to herself, the younger woman went to prepare for her evening out. **********

Cologne nudged the sleeping form of Shampoo. The younger woman snapped her eyes open, instantly alert. She realized that their stop was coming up. Sitting up fully, she gathered her pack and waited with her great-grandmother for it to come to a complete stop.

Stepping off, they headed out of the train station. Great-grandmother, what are we going to do in Tokyo? The question had plagued her since she d found out their ultimate destination, but had feared to ask at the time. Now seemed appropriate.

We re here to get somebody who ll help us get Ranma alone. I think they ll accept after I give them the alternatives. Her expression told Shampoo that any further questioning would be ill-advised.

They headed towards the Nerima district. Their steps were quick, since it was getting later in the day and Cologne wanted to be back before the morning. **********

Ukyo shifted, trying to avoid a cramp. She d been sitting in the same spot for hours now, watching the Tendo dojo after having found that the Saotomes weren t at home. It was a rather boring job. She d done it before, considering that it was the way she d found Genma in the first place. It still wasn t fun.

Sighing, she looked about herself, noting that it was starting to get cloudy. If it rained, it would make watching the dojo a bit harder. The rain would mask the movements of anybody approaching. That was, of course, if their quarry arrived.

Another boring five minutes passed.

And another

Then there was movement on the roofs not too far away. Squinting her eyes, she peered at the approaching figures.

Recognition made her eyes widen in shock. Making sure that she was well-hidden by the chimney, she watched the approach of both Cologne and Shampoo. They stopped at a nearby roof. Not close enough for her to be caught, but it still made her uncomfortable.

A touch on her arm almost made her jump into the sky, revealing her position. Taking her hand out of her mouth, which had stifled her surprised yelp, she saw that it was Mousse.

"They re here," he stated, simply, in a low voice.

Ukyo nodded. In the same low voice, she asked, "What are we gonna do, then?"

"We ll watch and then follow them, seeing if we can find out what they want here in Nerima. Since Ranma s not here, they re up to something. I m actually surprised that they came here, instead of taking Ranma already."

Ukyo glared at him. "You mean to say that you didn t know that they would be coming here?"

Mousse looked at her sheepishly. "It was a wild guess, really."

Ukyo suppressed the sudden urge to bash him flat with her giant spatula. Gaining control of herself, she pointed at the figures several houses away. "How did you see them? You re blind, aren t you?"

"I saw movement. That s how I noticed them," he replied. "Let s just wait here quietly until they decide to make their next move. Then we ll go from there."

"Whatever," came her flat response. She turned her full attention to the two Amazons, as did Mousse. **********

Tofu Ono nervously rubbed his hand on arm rest of the seat he was in. To his left was Kasumi, who was watching the screen. He d only managed to guzzle, for that was what he d done, a cup of tea shortly after her call before he d finished with the last of his patients.

He was eager to take Kasumi out, but there was the added danger of him losing his grip. He hadn t managed to get another cup down, so he was fervently hoping that he was going to make it through the evening.

Looking out of the corner of his eye, he studied Kasumi s face. It had the serenity that she always exhibited. That was one of the things he liked about her. Even through the chaos that surrounded her, she was the calm within the storm. He knew of her ability to diffuse problems with a single comment or an off-hand gesture. But she couldn t do it to his racing heart. When she would try, he d only become more intoxicated by her presence. That s why he was such a fool when she was around.

When the movie was over and they'd exited, they let the warm summer wind wash over them. It was a welcome refreshment from the stifling heat trapped by the buildings. Walking down the street, they stopped in a kissaten.

They sat down in a booth, ordering tea. There was a comfortable silence while they looked at each other. It was the classic scene of a couple being lost in each other's eyes. The wistful sigh of their waitress brought them out of their reverie, causing Kasumi to blush.

"When will you be able to start working with me," Ono asked. It was a ploy to avoid embarressment.

Taking the opportunity, Kasumi said, "Next Monday, I believe. I can only work for a little while before we end up going to the beach. We do it every year, as you know." The last two years with Ranma had made the trips quite interesting. The Tendos were both elated and subdued at the absence of the chaos that surrounded the young man. "Nabiki's arranged a place for us to stay. She arranged to have an extra room. Since the Saotomes aren't going with us this year, there is room for one more."

Ono gave the idea a moment of thought. There was his practice that he had to keep up. He'd been gone for quite a while. On the other hand, he could have a colleague take care of his regular patients and set up new appointments for some of the other patients. It was a possibility. "Would you give me a few days in order to make arrangements, if at all possible? I need to see if I can have somebody take care of the office while I'm away."

To say that Kasumi was delighted was an understatement. Her smile brightened his world. As she turned her cuteness factor up a thousandfold, his glasses fogged up. **********

Nabiki entered the dojo, humming to herself, one finger idly caressing the yen in her pocket. *Today s been a good day,* she thought to herself as she neared the door. She d made enough yen to last her a month at college, having started out early that morning.

Just as her hand touched the door, she noticed the unearthly silence. No crickets were chirping, nothing. The wind was still, even.

Though Nabiki didn t have a warrior s senses like most of the other people around her did, she was still able to pick up on the emotional state of her surroundings. And her senses told her that everything was waiting expectantly. After only a moment s hesitation, she entered the house.

The soft sounds of someone in the kitchen made it to her. That was normal, since it was about the right time for supper to be served. And Nabiki wasn t one to idly miss a meal, even if she didn t work out as rabidly as others. Entering the family room, she found it unoccupied by its usual loafers. The shogi board was unusually lonely.

Then she tried the dining room. Since it was about that time, she figured that the two men were sitting at the table, ready to be served. When she entered, the two men were strangely quiet, their faces in a caricature she d seen only on certain occasions. Her hairs on her nape started to rise on their ends. Something wasn t right in the house.

Taking a slow step back, she wasn t fast enough. Before she could get out of sight, Nodoka entered, seeing the fleeing Nabiki.

"Oh, hello, Nabiki-chan. You re just in time to have dinner. Why don t you sit down?"

A ploy began to form. "I ate already, thanks."

Nodoka gave her a level look, just as the younger woman s stomach betrayed her. Nabiki blushed. "Still, though," she said, "it d be nice of you to join us, even if it is a snack." Nabiki could have sworn that Nodoka looked like a cat who d just cornered a mouse.

"Sure," was all she could say. Taking her customary seat, she waited for the end to come.

Akane finally came out of the kitchen holding something. She set it in the middle of the table. Everybody sitting there got a whiff of it and started sidling back. The two men instantly became aware of unsheathed steel in their immediate area.

They calmed down.

Akane smiled timidly, hoping that she had been able to please. Seating herself, she waited until everybody else had taken a small amount of the food. The two friends looked at each other, sweating profusely. Then, swallowing audibly, they brought their shaking hands, with the food, to their mouths.

Their tear glands opened up, pouring out copious amounts of water. Nabiki took a smaller bite.

She felt her taste buds flare, the spice in the food overriding everything else. Sweating, she searched for a glass of water. Nodoka handed her one.

Akane lost her smile, bowing her head in defeat. Taking the plate of something she went back into the kitchen with it. She came back out with another plate, more recognizable than what had previously graced the table. Setting it in front of them, she went back into the kitchen to get rid of what had been, apparently, what she d made. Nodoka followed her.

"You re actually learning, Akane-chan," she mollified the younger woman. She heard a sniffle. "Oh, come now. You can t expect to be an expert cook overnight, now do you?"

Akane swung around. "But that s it. I ve been trying for so long now," she wailed. "I ll never be a good enough cook. Who d ever want to marry me?" Tears streaked her face.

"You have improved in the past year or so. Your curry is excellent. You ve even improved a great deal with you tempura. I just wanted to see how far you d come tonight with this dish. Even for me, it was difficult to master when I first tried making it. It takes practice to make it without spicing it up too much. And that s all you did, dear. Otherwise, it was fine."

Akane looked through her wet lashes at Nodoka. "Do Do you really mean it?"

"Yes, I do mean it. Now, why don t you finish up with that and let s get out there before my husband decides to eat everything?" She smiled warmly, indicating that everything would be all right.

"Okay."

When they made it back out, they found Genma hoarding more food on his plate. Nodoka gave him a level look. Sheepishly, he stopped shoveling food from the dish and began polishing off what he had before spooning more into his bowl.

Seating herself across from Nabiki, Nodoka gave the middle Tendo daughter a smile that sent a shiver down her back. "Nabiki-chan, I d like to talk with you after supper, if you don t mind." Her eyes flickered over to Akane.

Nabiki nodded, noting the reference. She could just smell the yen.

By the time everybody had finished and were retiring, Nabiki s curiosity was at its peak. Following Nodoka outside, she sat down, waiting for the subject to be broached.

"I want you to do me a favor." Nodoka slid a letter over to Nabiki.

She opened the letter, finding a wad of cash and a note. Reading quickly, she finally looked over to Nodoka. "You re sure about this," she asked.

"Quite."

"I m sure they re not going to like it."

"Oh, not to worry."

There was one thing that Nabiki didn't want to happen ever again. There had been one time that Akane had truly become angered at her. "I don t want any of Akane s sparring sessions, you know. I learned from the first and only, so far. That one mistake and the subsequent beating I got was a BAD THING ." Thinking about that one time still gave her nightmares on occasion.

"No need to worry about that. If there s any animosity, I ll take care of it. Do you think you can do it, though?"

"No problem."

"Good." **********

Ono walked up to the dojo with Kasumi leaning lightly against him. The evening had gone wonderfully. Not once had he been close to going over the edge. That had to mean something. His spending so much time with Kasumi was doing wonders for him, it seemed.

Added to that was the fact that he had his mother s tea to help him along. He had his own doubts about that, but he pushed them out of his mind.

They stopped on the porch, holding each other s hand lightly. As they leaned forward to kiss, a flash interrupted them. They turned to see Nabiki waving to them before rounding the corner. Kasumi smiled, laughing lightly at her younger sister s antics. She d get the picture out of her, somehow.

Ono looked bewildered, but chalked it up to Nabiki s mercenary ways. She d used him for money on occasion, so he wasn t too surprised.

Just as they pulled away, the door opened to reveal a panda and Nodoka. It appeared that they were leaving for the evening. The couple pulled apart at seeing them.

Though it was difficult to see with the light shining in her eyes, Kasumi felt that Nodoka was smiling at them. "Everything is in order, Kasumi. Nothing untoward happened, so there wasn t any need for those strong backs this time. I ve already replaced your cutting board, even. Have a good evening." With that, the older couple left.

Kasumi looked up to see a faint sheen of sweat coating her boyfriend s brow. It appeared that she was still having an effect on him. She was glad, however, that he hadn t lost his control just after they d kissed. His antics were rather amusing, but she preferred to be able to watch him walk away sedately, rather than leaping about.

With a squeeze of hands, they parted ways, Kasumi going inside, and Tofu Ono making his own way home. Kasumi let out a contented sigh as she went up to bed, a hand going to her lips, reliving what had happened only a few moments before. **********

Cologne watch as both Nodoka and Genma-panda left the Tendo s. Shadowing them wasn t hard. She knew that they were going home. Gesturing for Shampoo to continue following them, she went on ahead.

Arriving at the Saotome residence, she checked out the lay of the land, finding where she could enter and escape from in quick order. Patiently, she waited for them to arrive.

Nodoka and Genma-panda entered the house. Shampoo found her great-grandmother perched in a nearby tree. After some lights were turned on, then off, the Saotomes settled down for a quiet evening.

Genma-panda was just starting to get ready for a warm bath when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he came face-to-face with Cologne.

"Growf."

"I ll wait for you to change before we start talking. I have a proposition for you." The panda started sliding to the door. She whipped around him, cutting off his escape. "And no funny stuff."

Nodding, Genma-panda entered the bathing room, taking only long enough to change species.

"What is it you want," he asked upon entering the changing room.

She was relentless with her proposal. "If you want to keep your family safe, you ll come with me. I know where Ranma is and I plan to take him with me back to China. Now, I don t actually require your assistance, but your cooperation would be helpful."

Genma looked at the old woman for about a hundred heartbeats, contemplating his options. *If I don t go, she ll end up taking Ranma, if not killing him. Then she might come back for Nodoka.* The whole situation upset him quite a bit. *But, if I go, I ll be able to ensure Ranma and Nodoka s safety. Going with them, the odds will be evened out, too.* It was a sound plan from his part. He didn t know, however, Cologne s entire plan, which set him back a little.

He nodded.

"Good," she said. "Follow me."

"Hold on a minute," he interrupted. "I have a few things I want to get before we go."

She narrowed her eyes, considering. "Make it quick. And don t try anything," she warned.

Genma went out. He heard Nodoka in the kitchen making tea for herself. Quietly, he entered the family room, picking up the Saotome katana from its resting place on the mantle. With a stop in their bedroom, he drew out his backpack. Ensuring that the katana was out of sight, he put the backpack on. Finding a piece of paper and a pen in a drawer, he quickly wrote a note to Nodoka saying that he would be gone for a short time and not to worry. He knew that she would, but he had to at least make an effort.

Crawling out of the bedroom window, he made his way around to the window where Cologne had entered. Reaching to tap on it lightly, he found that Cologne was already outside waiting for him. With a sweep of his arm, he indicated for her to lead the way.

Cologne motioned her arm and Shampoo appeared beside her. The three leapt off.

Mousse and Ukyo kept their distance from the trio. Leaping from roof-to-roof, they shadowed them all the way to the train station. When they found their seats, Cologne looked across at Genma. Smiling wickedly, she produced a folded piece of paper, presenting it to Genma.

With a sinking heart, Genma took the paper, finding that it was the one he d made to Nodoka. He glared at Cologne.

"I told you not to try anything," she admonished.

Ukyo and Mousse entered the line filing down to the ticket booths. "What does she want with Genma," Ukyo asked of her companion.

Mousse shrugged, at a loss. "I don t really know."

Entering an adjacent car, they went forward enough to see into the next one, ensuring that their quarry was still there, yet still making sure that they were unobtrusive. Satisfied that they hadn t lost them, they set up a surveillance, one resting while the other watched for any activity. **********

Ranma-onna, once again, sat on the roof. She watched the clouds rolling over the landscape, blocking the stars. She sighed contentedly to herself.

Training had been rigorous. Eisei-sensei had kept her going for quite some time, evaluating her abilities in her current form. Her muscles twinged every time she moved about. That was the price she d paid many times over for her martial arts, though. It was a welcome feeling, even when it caused discomfort.

Toshi found the younger woman where she had expected her to be. "It s probably going to rain soon," she commented as she sat down.

Ranma-onna looked over at her, nodding. "It s been dry this summer. Only a few showers every now and again." Bitterly, she said, "Ever since I got this body, I ve hated the rain. It s caused so many problems, you just don t know."

She lay back, staring into the darkness above her.

"Is it so bad changing into a girl," asked Toshi, curious. "What I mean is, what s so bad about it?"

Ranma-onna let out an amused snort. "What s so bad about it? I ve been asked that question so many times. I still don t have much of an answer, though."

"Hmm Let me ask it another way. What do you find so difficult being a girl?"

"Well, for one, I ended up lying to my mother for a long time. Oyaji and I signed a contract saying that we d commit seppuku if he didn t raise me to be a man among men . That got cleared up after a while, though. Then there s the fact that I m a guy. At least, I was until I got cursed."

She still had no inkling of how bad changing genders could be. Seeing this, Ranma-onna continued.

"What would you do if you suddenly started changing into a guy," she asked.

Toshi thought about it. The situation seemed incomprehensible to her somehow. Shrugging, she said, "I don t know. I never really had any reason to think about it."

"Me neither. Until I started changing into a girl, that is. It s not something that happens every day, you know. One moment you re a guy, the next you re a girl, then a guy again. Being a girl isn t who I am. I m a guy," she said, pointing at her chest. Looking down at herself, she let out a cynical laugh. "Look at me. I do it every time. Insist I m a guy, even when I m pointing at these." She indicated her rather well-endowed chest.

"Is that another reason why you never told Akane your feelings," Toshi probed. She saw that she d struck a sensitive nerve with her question, considering Ranma-onna s reaction.

The redhead turned away suddenly, hiding her face. She didn t reply for quite some time. "Yeah. I wanted to find a cure, but every time I got close to one, I lost it somehow. Or it blew up in my face. She was always getting on me about me being a girl half the time. I knew it made her uncomfortable, so that s why I never admitted how I felt. If it hadn t been for this curse, half of my problems wouldn t even be here."

"Like," Toshi prodded.

"Well, for one, many of the times we started getting close, I d get splashed and it d mess everything up. Then there s the fact that I used my curse to get back at Ryoga for a few things he s done. It was mean, but the guy had it comin at the time. She never liked it when I did that. There s other things I ve done with it that aren t all that great, either. Mainly, though, it wouldn t be fair for her to marry only half a man. She deserves better than that. The only reason she was gonna marry me was because her father was going to give me the cure. It was a whole sympathy thing."

That struck Toshi as odd. "She was bribed with your cure to marry you?"

"Yeah. She never really wanted to marry me in the first place. But, with the cure, she d have me whole, rather than half guy, half girl."

"But she could have broken the engagement way before then, right?"

"She did. Many times, really. Then our parents would drag us back together, spouting off about joining the two lines."

"You two never sat down to just talk, did you?"

Ranma-onna barked a short laugh. "Us, talk? That s a laugh. Any time we started talking to each other, somebody d interrupt or we d start fighting. I d shoot off at the mouth and she d punt me, or just mallet me. Still don t know where she hides that thing." He muttered the last bit to himself.

"Would you be willing to take some free advice?"

Ranma-onna sat up, looking Toshi in the eye. "Depends on what it is."

"Well Why don t you two sit down sometime and just talk your differences out? That way, there s no confusion. I m sure the two of you ll be surprised where it might lead." Ranma-onna broke eye contact, staring off into space.

"I don t know," she admitted. "Maybe. We ll just have to see what happens."

"It s better than wondering, you know. It sounds to me that nobody was honest with themselves or anybody else. Promise me one thing, would you?"

"Depends."

"If you ever talk to her, try letting her know how you feel. Remember how I said that women love for different reasons? Maybe your curse wasn t the real issue, just something that she could be using as an excuse."

They looked at each other for a while.

"I m tired," Ranma-onna said, breaking the silence. "I think it s time for me to get some sleep. You should, too." They headed into the house for the night. As they entered, rain started its low hum on the roof. **********

Seijin sat in his garden, contemplating the koi swimming lazily by him. He d just finished watching Ranma and Toshi s practice.

Movement to his left made him turn his head. Seeing who had entered his garden, he stood up. "Is something the matter," he asked.

"Things are coming to a head now," was his answer.

Seijin nodded, making his way to the house. He found Toshi inside. She looked at him, noting his serious demeanor.

"No matter what you hear, don t go outside this house. I mean it. You could get seriously injured, if not killed."

Without knowing the reasons, she decided that it would be best to follow directions. "Okay. When will I know when it s safe," she asked.

"Only when both Ranma and I come back. Until then, stay inside. I have it warded from outside intrusion." At the mention of wards, Toshi felt her heart skip a beat. That indicated to her that whatever was outside was magical. She d had no experience with such things until recently and wasn t comfortable with it, even now. She would surely obey every word he d just said.

Seijin left her and raced to the training field. **********

HEART OF STEEL

Build a fire a thousand miles away to light my long way home I ride a comet My trail is long to stay Silence is a heavy stone I fight the world and take all they can give There are times my heart hangs low Born to walk against the wind Born to hear my name No matter where I stand I m alone

Stand and fight Live by your heart Always one more try I m not afraid to die Stand and fight Say what you feel Born with a heart of steel

Burn the bridge behind you Leave no retreat There s only one way home Those who laugh and crowd the path and cut each other s throats Will fall like melting snow They ll watch us rise with fire in their eyes They ll bow their heads Their hearts will hang low Then we ll laugh and they will kneel and know this heart of steel was Too hard to break Too hard to hold

Stand and fight Live by your heart Always one more try I m not afraid to die Stand and fight Say what you feel Born with a heart of steel

- Manowar -

Genma watched the old man and woman, who d just sparred with his son, leave. Cologne sat beside him. When the two had left, she tapped his elbow, indicating that it was his time to perform.

Stepping out of the trees, he called out. "Ranma-kun! Finally, I ve found you." He made his voice gruff, trying to sound like he d had a difficult time searching for his son.

Hearing his name called, Ranma spun in the direction of the voice. "What in the Oyaji?" Seeing his father was a total surprise. "How d you find out where I was," he asked.

The two walked closer together. "After you didn t write or call us, your mother had me go looking for you. I ve been looking for you for the past week and a half," he lied.

"Oh. I guess I should ve called," Ranma admitted.

"You ve had your mother worried." It wasn t far from the truth. Genma was sweating from the strain.

"Well, now that you ve found me, what do you want?"

Genma looked around furtively. "Why don t you come to my camp and we can talk," he suggested.

Ranma thought about it for a moment. He really didn t want to take his father inside. He d probably end up eating Eisei-sensei out of house and home. "Sure."

They started along the path, followed by Cologne. After about twenty minutes of walking, the two Saotomes entered a clearing. There was a kettle on the fire, warming.

"What s the water for," Ranma asked.

Genma was at a loss for words. He hadn t put it there to warm, so he didn t know what to do or say. "I um ah I had to warm some water to change." It had been wet that night, so it was a good enough explanation.

Walking up to the fire, Ranma caught a glimpse of something. Peering closer, he suddenly became suspicious. "So, how d you say you found me," he asked.

His father floundered for an excuse, not having thought of one ahead of time. Ranma watched in silence.

Fed up with his bumbling about, Cologne entered the campsite. Genma had served his purpose for the moment. Getting Ranma away was good enough for her at the time. Ranma caught the movement through his peripheral vision. His suspicions were confirmed. He d seen the footprint of somebody other than Genma, and Cologne s sudden presence told him that all was not as it seemed. He looked about for anybody else who was with her. He just knew that Shampoo was somewhere nearby.

"What do ya want, ya old mummy," Ranma asked.

"Just to talk, Son-in-law." She hopped over to the opposite side of the fire from Ranma. "It s been a while, hasn t it? Why don t you have a seat," she said, indicating the log behind him.

Deciding to play along for now, he sat down as instructed. His father stood nervously to the side. Shampoo came out of the trees as soon as he was seated. Cologne continued her conversation. "Why don t we have some tea?" She motioned for Shampoo to pour Ranma a cup.

Shampoo did so, pouring herself and Cologne one, too. He didn t catch the sudden switch of pouches that contained the tea leaves, nor the careful way Shampoo handed the cup to him.

Bringing the cup to his lips, Ranma suddenly stopped. Pulling it away, he asked, "Why are you here, exactly?"

Cologne ground her teeth. The boy was too full of questions for her taste. Males were supposed to be seen, not heard. "Shampoo has been wondering how you were doing, so we decided to come see you," she said simply.

Ranma, again, brought the cup to his lips, only to blow on it to cool it down. But he didn t sip any of it as he thought. Bringing it down, he asked another question. "If that s all, then why didn t you wait until I got back to Nerima?"

"It s a moot point now, isn t it? We re here now." Ranma wasn t watching her. Instead, he was noting the way Shampoo s eyes were darting between the two of them nervously. Catching onto an idea, he started to bring the cup to his lips.

Bringing it away from his lips, for the third time, he finally heard the grinding of Cologne s teeth. He did it once again, acting as if he was about to ask another question.

"Drink your tea, boy," Cologne growled.

Ranma simply set it down beside himself. "I don t think so," he said in defiance. Shampoo and Genma could almost feel the sparks flying between the two as they stared each other down.

Suddenly, from the sides, two others burst into the clearing.

"Watch out, Ranchan," Ukyo yelled. "It s a trap!"

As soon as her words died out, chaos ensued. **********

Ryoga heard the distant sounds of fighting. The voices drew him to it. Somehow, they seemed familiar. Feeling a sense of dread, he started sprinting.

The sounds were not too far away, so he was able to zero in on the location fairly well. **********

Ranma leapt back, tipping his cup of tea over onto the ground. Genma jumped towards Cologne, only to find himself eating dirt.

Shampoo pulled her bonbori out, advancing on Ukyo. The two squared off.

Mousse shot various weapons at Cologne as she beat Genma to the ground with her staff. She dodged them, darting in to strike him multiple times in the midsection. He flew backwards into a tree, sliding down slowly. He felt a sharp pain in his side. Already, he could tell that he wasn t doing too well.

Ukyo found herself having a hard time against Shampoo. The Amazon was using her skills against the okonomiyaki chef. With speed much like Ranma s, she proceeded to batter down Ukyo s defenses.

Ranma jumped into the fray, going after Cologne. They exchanged lightning-fast blows, their arms blurring as they struck at each other. Somehow, Cologne got a strike in through his defenses, sending him to the edge of the clearing. He shook his head groggily, trying to make the stars go away.

Genma picked himself up. Seeing Ukyo in trouble, he went to help her out. Shampoo felt him coming and jumped to her left, swinging her weapon up. Genma impacted with it. When his flight came to a sudden end, he collapsed onto the ground, rolling back towards Shampoo. Both Ukyo and Genma engaged the Amazon.

Mousse sent another volley of weapons at Cologne. A chain wrapped around her staff. He yanked on it, hoping to make her lose her weapon. She tipped over, holding onto one end, playing tug-of-war with Mousse. Just as he was pulling even harder, she went with it. Unbalanced, Mousse fell backwards. With a series of quick twists of her wrists, Cologne wrapped the chain around Mousse.

About that time, Ryoga burst into the clearing. He assessed the situation, noting that Ranma was advancing on Cologne, whereas Ukyo and Genma were engaged with Shampoo, and Mousse was trussed up. He also noted that Shampoo was moving faster than he d seen her the last time. There was only one reason Ranma and Cologne would be fighting like they were. He had to help his friend.

In tandem, both Ranma and Ryoga leapt for Cologne. Seeing both of them coming after her, Cologne leapt out of the way. The two twisted, avoiding each other as they passed each other by in midair, since their target had vacated the area.

Grabbing the kettle, Cologne pulled a pouch of the herb that she d tried to get Ranma to drink earlier. Pouring the contents into the kettle, she started had to jump away from another attack from her erstwhile students. Ranma swiped at the pouch. She cursed in Chinese as the majority of the powder fell to the ground.

Ranma fired a ki sphere off. Jumping away from it, she suddenly found herself flying forward. It had detonated behind her. Rolling, she managed to keep most of the water in the kettle. Several more burst about her. Bracing herself, she rode the wave out. Ryoga was there as she came to stand up. She blocked his powerful punches with one hand, since she was faster than him. Sliding between his legs, she sent a kick behind one of his knees, sending him tumbling forward.

Shampoo was keeping her opponents at bay with her bonbori, her back to a tree. Ukyo s spatula was severely dented. Genma dodged a thrust, landing a sharp blow to Shampoo s shoulder. She felt her arm go numb, the appendage dropping to her side. Desperately, she swung her remaining arm over to defend herself with a whimper.

Mousse, by now, had finally untangled himself from his own chains. Seeing Ryoga on the ground, he leapt at Cologne as she was being engaged by Ranma.

Cologne heard Mousse coming. Dodging to the side, she struck him with her staff, not even looking where it landed.

Unfortunately for Mousse, it hit him in the face, knocking his glasses away. Looking about, he caught movement. Once again, he let fly with several weapons. They wrapped around his victim, constricting them. Pulling the form closer, he found the mass to be bigger than it should be. He recognized Ryoga s voice, who was cursing at him soundly.

Shampoo batted Ukyo s giant spatula out of the way, allowing for Genma to land another strike. Just as he was striking, she felt her bonbori impact solidly with Ukyo s jaw, who went flying. Shampoo lost her breath as she was hit in the ribs. Slumping over, she fell into unconsciousness with Genma s final strike to her head.

It was only Ranma against Cologne. He was leery of the kettle she bore. Its contents were a mystery to him. But, knowing that the Matriarch had an agenda and it seemed to include the kettle, he attempted to disarm her of it.

He jumped forward, trying to knock the kettle out of Cologne s hands. She spun away from him. He followed her movement, trying to keep his speed going. He knew he was wearing her down. With her having fought against three opponents, her reserves were more depleted than his had become.

They circled each other. "Give up, Son-in-law. Either come with us peacefully or you ll regret it," Cologne warned.

Ranma drew in his ki, focusing it upon himself. With his speed enhanced, he started in on Cologne. The old woman was surprised at the speed of attacks that Ranma was sending her. Desperately, she tried to block him. Leaping away from him, she gathered her last reserves.

They joined each other in the middle of the clearing. The ground shook at the blows that they were administering to each other. Ranma was holding back, since he didn t want to destroy her utterly. There was only one time he d been pushed to the edge where he was capable of killing somebody. Now was not the time. And that was where he made his mistake of not putting her down for the count or into the grave.

A punch sent Cologne to the ground. She saw the remains of her staff a dozen feet away. Ranma advanced. She poised herself, sending a large spray of water at Ranma. She made sure that at least a quarter of what she had was left in the dented kettle.

He dodged the initial spray of water, twisting his body about. She sloshed the remainder of the water at Ranma. Unable to dodge the new threat, since he was already twisted into an odd angle, he received the water in the face and upper torso.

Ranma froze as soon as the tea was splashed on him. It didn t elicit his change, but he knew, instinctively, that there was something odd about the tinted water because of Cologne s odd behavior. In mere seconds, he felt the effects of the solution that had entered his bloodstream through his skin. No knowing what to do, he tried the only thing that came to mind at the moment.

He burst into fire. He drew from the earth beneath him, amplifying what power he had for himself. The problem was, he was outside the protective field that Seijin had made for his training.

It wasn t actual fire, really, but the manifestation of his ki and the life force flowing through the earth. There was a tremendous amount of power from the volcano, so it was much like a river flowing into him, rather than a steady stream. The pillar of ki fire leapt into the air a good fifty feet above him and surrounded him in a fifteen foot radius. Though it didn t burn him directly, the heat was intense to all others. It happened to send Cologne back several yards because of the sudden, powerful blast. She reacted quickly, only her battle-honed reflexes saving her from being thrown about. Uncrossing her arms from before her, Cologne looked on, a smile creasing her wrinkled face. She knew it would not help.

Genma, Ryoga, and Mousse who weren t paying attention to their battle. Not expecting the sudden blast of air pressure, they were thrown about like rag dolls. All three were struck unconscious from impact with various trees.

By now, the water had evaporated from his body, since he d focused upon that, hoping that it would hinder whatever it was that had been splashed on him useless. Such was not the case, so now was the time to search for a way to fight what was happening to him.

As Ranma burned. His body was flowing with a tremendous amount of energy. He let the majority flow out of him, keeping it from burning him to a crisp. He felt the mind-numbing effects start their work on him. It seemed that his consciousness was being sequestered to a remote part of his mind. It also felt like there was another being within him, fighting him with all its might.

In fact, that s what he seemed to be fighting. Another entity within his mind. Not knowing exactly what it was, he tried using his martial arts abilities on it, hoping that his skills would help him with this. The problem was, he was never able to harm it in that sense. Searching desperately, he tried shielding himself and pushing his consciousness to the fore. They were bumping elbows, figuratively, trying to control the motor functions of his body. That was part of the struggle. The other was to keep from being shunted into a dark corner where they would be dealt with later. Mercilessly, of course.

Ranma managed to open his eyes, relishing the fact that he d won part of the fight. But he was clawed away from that small victory.

His vision blurred. Everything was blue-tinged to him and his sight was rapidly fading away as he fought. Closing his eyes so he could concentrate even more upon the struggle, he tried finding the center that Eisei-sensei had alluded at. Desperately, he fought for control of his mind. It was a battle, he found, that he was losing.

He saw the glowing of something that he hoped was his center. He raced to it, mentally. Just as he was about to reach the point, the drug pulled him back. It would have none of his attempts. With a supreme effort, he broke from its grasp. Shooting forward, he gained on the chance to touch it with his ethereal fingers. It felt soothing. As he started to settle within, he was grabbed from behind and pulled away violently.

His mental powers were failing him, as his will was being crushed in an iron grip. He felt like a pup held by the nape and shaken roughly.

An image floated by him from his memories, which was where he d been shoved to. His body jerked violently in response to his grasping upon the memory, trying to use it as an anchor. That was when he felt a tug.

Looking from where he d felt the pull, he saw a cord. He also became aware of something attached to his spirit, rather than his body. It was something that ran from him to somewhere outside. It was a red cord leading from his ethereal navel, as far as he could tell, that stretched out to somewhere nearby. Like a wolf on its prey s spoor, he picked up the trail and shot along it, away from his body.

Cologne was watching the light show coming from Ranma with mild interest. Nobody had ever beaten the herb s effects, as far as she knew. When Ranma s aura died and his body fell to the ground, as if boneless, she lost her smile. From what she knew, he was supposed to be awaiting the orders from someone. The first to do so would have complete control over him.

Rushing to his body, she prodded at it. There was no response. Pulling one eye back, she found that it had become dilated. Opening her senses, she found that something disturbing had happened. Ranma had somehow exorcised his spirit from his body, only a thin thread leading away to attach his spirit to his physical body. He could survive for a time, she knew, but the fact that she d have to manhandle him until she got to safety was a bit of a problem. Looking about, she saw the tumbled bodies of Shampoo, Mousse, Genma, and Ukyo. There would be no help there for a short while. She also had to get Ranma s spirit back to his body, or he would slowly die without them together. The power within the herb was only to control, not fill the void of a spiritless body.

She would have to go by herself, hoping that Shampoo would be safe and stay put until she came back for her after she got Ranma to a remote location.

A rustling behind her made her turn.

She swallowed audibly at whom she saw. **********

As Ranma followed the trail, he found that it went up towards Mt. Fuji. In his present state, he could see and feel the energy flowing by, around, and through him. It was a wondrous sight. Colors that he d never even had the ability to comprehend before flashed before him.

The cord he was following was almost lost in the kaleidoscope of colors. The cord was still attached to him, however, so he was able to locate it with only a little difficulty with the intensity of the power flowing around him. Focusing more of his attention upon it, he found that he could see it more clearly.

It led him to a cave not far from the Shinto shrine, where the intensity of the light was mellowed. Following it inside, he came upon an altar. Lying before him was a red rose, which the cord was affixed to. Upon getting closer, he found that it was glowing faintly. As he reached for it, he paused. Why was he lead here to this rose? He had no clue as to why he had a link to it.

There were many things he d done in his lifetime he regretted. The solving of this mystery would probably be another, but there was no helping it.

As his hand neared it, waves of emotions assaulted him. Foremost among them was Sorrow. It crashed around and through him, sending his senses reeling. It had been a long while since he d experienced the emotion, but he felt that he recognized it from somewhere. Just as he thought he was about to drown in it, he felt another emotion wash over him.

It wasn t as overwhelming, but it was just as strong. More like a lifeline that he could hold onto. Hope. That s how he imagined it. Many others waxed and waned around him as he struggled to make his way to the rose, but those were suddenly drowned out by another emotion. Before he could identify it, he had touched the rose.

And that s when he found himself flashing across the landscape. **********

Cologne straightened. She wouldn t go down without a fight.

Seijin walked forward. He noted the destruction around him. There were large craters in the ground where people had impacted. There were even a couple of trees that were leaning over more than they had only minutes before.

He looked at the prone form of Ranma. Seeing the shallow breathing of the inert body, he let out a relieved sigh. "It d be better if you gave up now," he said.

The Matriarch shook her head.

They launched themselves into battle. Seijin found that Cologne was more tired than she would have wanted to admit. Using his superior skills, he sent her rolling away from him with several debilitating strikes.

Cologne massaged her left hand, panting. Seijin advanced on her. She feinted to the right, trying to throw him off. He didn t take the bait, only getting closer.

She hadn t known true defeat in over two hundred years. She soon found that she was about to do so.

He made quick work of her. **********

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

So close no matter how far Couldn t be much more from the heart Forever trusting who we are And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way Life is ours, we live it our way All these I don t just say And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you Every day for us something you Open mind for a different view And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do Never cared for what they know But I know

So close no matter how far Couldn t be much more from the heart Forever trusting who we are And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do Never cared for what they know But I know

Never opened myself this way Life is ours, we live it our way All these words I don t just say

Trust I seek and I find in you Every day for us something new Open mind for a different view And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they say Never cared for games they play Never cared for what they do Never card for what they know And I know

So close no matter how far Couldn t be much more from the heart Forever trusting who we are No, nothing else matters

- Metallica -

Akane was practicing in the dojo, wondering what new training technique she would glean from Genma when he returned. She s just training with him, but she felt that she d increase her abilities if she continued.

He d suddenly disappeared from Nerima only the night before, soon after the Saotomes had arrived home. It concerned everybody, even though they knew that he d lived on the road for many years practicing martial arts, fending for himself. There was no apparent reason that he would suddenly go off without notifying anybody.

When she d asked her father, who d received the call from Nodoka, he d said, "Saotome-kun left last night without a word. He took the Saotome sword with him, too. She doesn t know why. I don t know, either." With that, he went off to watch television, since there was nobody to play Go or shogi with.

Both Nodoka and Genma had speculated once where their son was, since he hadn t contacted them since he d left. So, if Genma suddenly had word of his whereabouts, why hadn t he told anybody else?

Pushing her thoughts back further into her mind, she concentrated more upon what she was doing. The kata she was performing was complex. It was possible that she would have it mastered within the next few days if she kept working on it. Then she would use it on Genma, hoping to get a few good hits in before he overpowered her again.

Suddenly, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was seriously wrong. Turning on the balls of her feet, she adopted a defensive stance. There was nobody there. The feeling persisted.

Walking out of the dojo, she went into the house and found nothing out of the ordinary. The prickly feeling faded away for a moment, but then it came back.

By this time, she d made a full circuit of the house and ended up back by the dojo. Kasumi was cleaning, as usual. Nabiki wasn t around, off on business somewhere. And her father was watching television. There was nobody else on the premises.

Her heart started beating faster. Something was seriously wrong and she could feel it through her whole being.

"RAAAANNNMAAAA!" She now knew who was in trouble. She could feel his need for escape. Not knowing exactly how or why, she opened herself, allowing Ranma entrance. Glimpses of a battle flashed before her eyes as she struggled to control the sudden energy that intruded itself as soon as Ranma s consciousness was within her. It expanded, causing her to flame up much like it had with Ranma.

Kasumi and Soun ran outside when they heard Akane s scream. She stood rigidly in the open, glowing a bright crimson. It looked like a small tornado engulfed her.

They tried getting closer, but the heat and wind pushed them back. Unable to control everything at once, she welcomed the dark of unconsciousness. The torrent ended as abruptly as it had started. The young woman crumpled to the ground, only a soft pulse at her throat indicating that life remained. Kasumi ran back inside to the telephone as Soun gathered his daughter in his arms. He was too occupied checking her vitals to wail. **********

Ukyo and Ryoga were the first ones to wake up. Seeing that Ranma and Cologne were gone, they looked about for signs of where they might have gone. As soon as they saw Shampoo stirring, Ryoga pulled several bandannas off and trussed her up with them. Ukyo, meanwhile, brought both Genma and Mousse back to the world of the living.

It was Genma who found a separate set of tracks. They were made prominent due to the fact that a great deal of weight was being carried and the occasional drag marks. Ryoga hoisted Shampoo to his shoulder and they proceeded to follow the trail. **********

Ranma was lying on his futon, still unconscious. In the corner was Cologne, invisible bands tying her. She mumbled to herself as she came to. Toshi looked over at the old woman fearfully as she washed the dirt and grime off of Ranma, examining him for any serious injuries. Seijin stood not too far away, a far-off look in his eyes.

Hearing Cologne rousing, he turned to her. "I hope I wasn t too hard on you."

She glared at him. Testing her bonds, she found that she wouldn t be able to get out of them without Seijin allowing her to. Looking about her, she saw Ranma on the opposite side of the room. It piqued her interest why the herb had had such an effect on him. "Have you figured out how he disengaged himself," she asked.

"Not quite yet," he admitted. He passed a hand over Ranma s head, trying to sense anything. He could tell that there was an ethereal cord attached to his body leading somewhere, but couldn t tell to where or whom exactly. Looking back at Cologne, he took pity upon her. He knew that she had an enormous amount of pride for her age. The bonds she was in didn t help any. He knew that she wouldn t try anything, or couldn t with him present, if he released her. If he used her honor to keep her, she would do nothing. He asked, "Would you prefer to be released? I m sure you re as curious as I am as to Ranma s condition. It would be helpful if you could lend me your aid."

She nodded.

"I don t need you to try anything foolish, though. I have a lot more experience than you ll ever have," he warned. With muttered words from her captor, Cologne found that she could move of her own free will. However, she could feel the bands of energy wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She nodded at his caution.

With a questioning glance to Seijin, and receiving his permissive nod, she went over to Ranma. After looking at him for a while, she let out several muttered oaths.

Barking a sharp laugh, she turned to Seijin. "I always wondered how he was able to fend off Shampoo s advances." She pointed to a few points about Ranma s lower abdomen. "See these? Do you recognize them?"

Seijin took a closer look. Evident on Ranma s body were small indentations, more like dimples. However, they shouldn t have been there. Calling up his knowledge of anatomy, he found himself amused. "It sounds like it worked," he commented to Cologne. The shiatsu points were the inhibitors of the sex drive. With it, Ranma had rendered himself incapable of being overly stimulated. Though, at his age, he could become stimulated, it wasn t as prominent as he should have become. If he d done it when he was younger, his puberty would have been held back until released. Or, if later, he would have had more difficulty getting aroused.

"I don t think he needs this problem anymore," Cologne noted. "What would you say if I disabled them?"

Seijin nodded his acquiescence, watching Cologne s work closely.

Touching several points throughout Ranma s body, she undid what Ranma had done shortly after Shampoo s return from China, accompanied by her great-grandmother. It had been a desperate ploy to enable him to resist Shampoo when she glomped him. If she felt his reaction to her body, he d been sure that he would have had more problems on his hands. And, at the time, he d had had enough.

"He s going to have a growth spurt," Cologne diagnosed. "I think he ll grow a few inches and fill out a little more. I don t know exactly how long he s been like this, but it isn t healthy for a young man to do this to himself. He s going to be painfully aware of a few things for the next few months, too."

"Lucky him," Toshi deadpanned, seated a few feet away. Her elders smiled at her, agreeing with her analysis. "Is he going to be all right? He should be awake by now, shouldn t he?"

"Only his body is here," Seijin explained. "For some reason, he s been able to spiritually travel."

They heard the entrance of several people downstairs. Toshi left to greet them.

Voices were raised from below them, the sounds of the group getting nearer.

Genma burst into the room. "Where s my son," he demanded. Seeing Ranma, he rushed to his side, looking at him. Turning to Seijin, he asked, "What s wrong with him?" His eyes roved between both Seijin and Cologne. The look he passed over Cologne was not very endearing.

"He s okay for now," Seijin mollified the father. He looked back at those standing in the doorway of Ranma s room. "Why don t you all go back downstairs for a while? I m examining him still and I don t need to be disturbed. Leave the girl, though," he said, indicating Shampoo.

Ryoga shrugged the unconscious girl off of his shoulder without comment. The others, including Toshi, turned and left. Genma followed shortly after with a firm gesture from Seijin.

Walking over to Shampoo, Cologne untied and roused her great-granddaughter. She sat up, rubbing her wrists where the bandannas had dug into her flesh. Cologne leaned against the wall, away from Ranma.

Cologne turned her attention back to Seijin. She still had business to finish. "You do realize, of course, that when Ranma leaves here, he ll be open to me once again, don t you?"

"I wouldn t, if I were you. That could be very dangerous for your health. He has been put into my charge. Therefore, if he were to disappear, I d be bound to find him. At whatever costs." His eyes glinted with an internal fire, giving promise to the threat.

Looking back at the comatose form of Ranma, a plan formed. "There is one way to solve this problem, however. All we need is his seed." Shampoo looked at her great-grandmother, not fully understanding her implications.

"I don t think ," Seijin started to say, before being interrupted.

"Hold that thought, my friend," a figure said. Seijin looked over at his newest visitor. Bowing fractionally, he allowed who d just entered to continue the conversation for him.

"And who are you, boy," Cologne asked. She heard Seijin s stifled laugh and boy, indeed . Looking over at the young man, she gave him a more thorough examination. He had straight, shoulder-length hair. His skin was a luminous gold color, his violet eyes a striking contrast. About him was a fluid grace, something that said that he was not of the mortal plane. She saw a glint of gold at his ear. Peering closer, she saw that it was a small horn-shaped earring.

He jauntily leaned against the doorjamb before continuing. "You ve been very persistent for the past few years. I admire that. Not many these days have that sort of drive. I feel that it s misplaced, though. Seeking Ranma for outdated laws is just a bit much, wouldn t you say?"

There was nothing normal about him and Cologne could sense that. She found it within herself to treat him with as much diplomacy as she would Seijin or any other of great age like herself. "You re not an Amazon. You d never understand. We seek the strongest of each generation. Ranma is one of the strongest I ve ever seen. Our tribe needs to have its bloodline mixed with his. It s the only way we ve survived for so many years."

"But why take Ranma when he would rather follow a different path in life? It seems to me that it s unfair. And what of Shampoo? What would she rather do?"

Cologne looked at the young woman in question. Turning back, she said, "She knows her duties. My great-granddaughter wouldn t have pursued him this long if she didn t know her place within the tribe. She s one of the best of her generation. In order for us to survive, she knows that she must pursue Ranma."

He turned to Shampoo. "And what is your take on this? Are you willing to bear Ranma s child?"

She almost answered immediately in the positive. Seeing that he wanted her to think, she did so. The other three occupants watched her silently. "Shampoo know that Ranma no love her. But Shampoo do love Ranma. He strong fighter. Ranma also caring person, even if others not think so. He not like others around him. It be great honor for Shampoo to have child from Ranma." Her eyes sparkled with her convictions, her gaze holding the young man s without flinching.

The young man turned away from her, looking back at Cologne. "Is his seed the only necessary thing you need of him?"

"It would be sufficient. I would prefer to have him with us in the village so he can give Shampoo more children, but what he could give here would be enough for the tribe."

"I will allow this." His voice didn t waver with indecision.

Seijin didn t react. He would have objected, but decided that there had to be other objectives involved. As well as other powers. Cologne, meanwhile, clamped down on her elation. It would be unbecoming to one of her age to be gloating openly.

He wasn t finished, however. "I don t think Ranma should know about this. Therefore, you should do it while he is occupied at the moment. Afterwards, you and Seijin will both work in concert to bring him back. I ll give Shampoo half an hour. Show her what she needs to do. I ll be making sure that the two of you don t spirit him away, too." Turning to Seijin, he gestured for him to follow him outside.

Cologne pulled Shampoo over to Ranma s inert form. Pointing at several spots on his body, she started explaining what she should do in order to accomplish their goal. **********

Dr. Tofu finished examining Akane. What disturbed him was the fact that she had no physical injuries. Her ki was also out of balance. The lines crisscrossing her body had another ki line superimposed with them. It seemed like that she had a double of her ki lines.

Rubbing his eyes, he pulled himself away from her bed. Even with the description of events that Soun had given him, he wasn t sure what was going on. It was the first time he d ever encountered such. Why Akane would scream out Ranma s name for no apparent reason was beyond him. Too many questions plagued him.

He turned around at the sound of Akane s door opening. Soun entered, worry etched in his face. His face was also tear-streaked. "Will she be okay," he asked quietly.

Keeping his concerns to himself, Dr. Tofu said, "She should just rest for now. From what you ve told me, she had a great amount of energy running through her. Her state could be due to this, and she s only sleeping because of it. Why don t you sit here with her?"

He vacated the chair sitting beside Akane s bed, allowing the father to take his place. There was nothing he knew that could be done at the moment. Perusing his books would probably be a feeble attempt, he knew. Only time would solve this one for the Tendos. **********

Ranma floated in darkness. It was comfortable where he was. He knew that where he was, was safe. Nothing else mattered. There was no pain. No sorrow.

Thinking about it, he decided that it must be how a fetus felt like while in the womb. It d been many years for him since he d been in one, but it seemed that where he was would be something like it.

The only fact he knew was that he d crossed from Mt. Fuji to Tokyo in an instant. He d met up with a familiar presence at the end of his journey. He had the feeling that he knew who it was. It eluded him, much like a word on the tip of his tongue , frustrating him.

But the real question was how he would get back to his own body. Thus, he began to explore. He would hear voices on occasion. They sounded familiar, but were too faint for him to make out fully.

Wandering about, he found that the place he was in was finite. There seemed to be a definite end to it. He put pressure on the wall, finding it to be unyielding. It looked much like marble of a midnight hue, only with a faint sheen to it. The wall would give him a spatial reference he needed, rather than thinking he was in an endless space where there was no escape. That helped to settle his mind.

Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning his attention to it, he found that it eluded his direct sight. Concentrating on his peripheral vision, he found that they were scenes.

He couldn t tell what they were, though, since looking and being able to decipher what was going was nigh impossible. There were more flashes as the scenes changed, but he ignored them. They wouldn t cause him harm, so he could still try and find a way to exiting his prison.

Shortly after his search was started, he felt a sudden surge of energy. It quickly passed. He continued his roving, hoping to find a weak spot in the walls. **********

The door opened. Shampoo exited the room that she and Ranma had been in. There was a faint sheen of sweat about her and she also exhibited a healthy glow. Casting her eyes down, she admitted the others back in.

Seijin did an inspection of Ranma, finding nothing had happened to him other than what had been agreed to. He still lay there, oblivious to the world around him.

"Are we ready, then, to bring Ranma back from where he went to?" Cologne walked up beside him.

"We need to purge his body of the effects of the herb first. That is, of course, if you want to keep him from being an obedient servant for the remainder of his life."

"I see. How would we go about that?"

The young man moved forward, interrupting their musings. "I ll handle that part. You two only need to worry about bringing him back." Putting words to action, he began muttering under his breath the incantation that would purge Ranma s body of the influence of the herb.

A golden glow infused the inert body. As they watched, Cologne and Seijin saw something pulsating erupt from Ranma s head, hovering above his body. They could have sworn that there was an anguished scream as it disappeared.

"He s ready for your administrations now."

The two sages set about their work. Seijin prepared the incantation that would ultimately draw Ranma s soul back to his body. He didn t want a stray spirit occupying Ranma s body. Therefore, he began setting up wards to block anything he didn t call specifically.

Cologne set about readying Ranma s body for the return. It was necessary that he wouldn t be shunted back out, considering he d left his body under extreme stress. If the body rejected his soul, there would be some serious work for the two of them.

Finally, Cologne indicated that her end of the process was finished. Seijin wrote the last ward and placed it on Ranma s forehead. He started glowing faintly as he began chanting.

Cologne didn t recognize any of the words he said. It didn t surprise her much, considering how much older he was than her. She walked over to where the others were watching. Passing her hand along Shampoo s abdomen, she muttered her own incantation. It took but a few words and a small surge of her power to accomplish it.

Satisfied that Shampoo s future as a mother was assured, she patted the young woman on the shoulder, giving her the reassurance she needed.

After a quarter of an hour of casting the spell, Seijin sat back to wait.

Ranma s body lay inert for a short time. Slowly, however, his appendages started to twitch. His head rolled to the side and back to the other. A soft moan was emitted from his lips.

Ranma s soul, in the dark recesses of Akane s mind, felt a tug. It came again. It felt much like a fisherman had caught him, pulling him in. He didn t know whether to fight or not.

With one sharp pull, his choices had suddenly become obsolete.

He flashed across the landscape once again, the world blurring around him. There was no way he could decipher where he d just been. The question of where he d gone still bothered him, but he figured that it would eventually come to him.

Just as he was settling back into his body, he felt that it was in better shape than when he d left it. His healing factor had kicked in, making the bruises fade away quickly. There was no evidence of the invader that he d fled from. Sensation came back to him as he lay there. It came slowly. First was the sense of touch. That s how he knew that his wounds were only superficial.

Then came the other senses. Taste, smell, hearing, and sight. The faint light above him penetrated his eyelids, rousing him. He d have been content just going to sleep, but that wasn t an option, considering that there may be danger still lurking about.

Opening his eyes, he found a paper running from his forehead and across his nose, causing him to cross his eyes to make out what it was exactly. Bringing his hand up, he brushed the offending piece of paper away. He sat up, seeing Cologne and Shampoo sitting in a corner. Jumping up, he prepared himself for another battle.

Cologne held her hands up in the universal gesture for peace. Ranma loosened his stance, but didn t release himself fully.

"It s okay, Ranma-kun. She s not going to be trying anything to you anymore. We ve come to an arrangement," Seijin assured. Ranma missed the rosy blush that Shampoo suddenly acquired.

"It s true, Ranma," Cologne said. He raised his eyebrows in surprise in the form of address she had for him. There was no Son-in-law anymore, it seemed. "What we exchanged is enough to satisfy our honor. There will be no more attempts of trying to bring you back to China. Rest assured that you are now free to do as you please."

"That s all? You attack me, talk to Eisei-sensei, and then it s all over? I don t get it." He was getting even more confused as time went.

Seijin headed off the speculations, saying, "There was a little more to it than that, but I don t think you want to know the details at the moment. Why don t we have some tea in the meantime?"

Cologne stood up. "I think it best that we leave now. I m sure that our presence isn t all that welcoming. I do, however, intend to take Mousse back with us. He s under my jurisdiction, since he s an Amazon. His interference isn t appreciated. Noble, but out of line for his position."

"Don t be too hard on him, would ya," Ranma spoke up in his defense. "He has his faults, but he s a good guy." He would be eternally grateful for his interference, since it had helped a great deal. He didn t know if he d have been able to fight Cologne without having him to distract her while he was picking himself up.

"It won t be too bad," Cologne assured. "A small bit of penance for his actions and it ll be done and over with." Her smile didn t reassure him, however. "We must be going now, though."

Before they walked out of the room, Shampoo walked up to Ranma. He froze, not knowing what to do. She grabbed his chin, turning it so she could kiss his cheek. He allowed this, considering she wouldn t be chasing him anymore. Her last words to him were, "Bie Liao."

Ranma simply stared after her, holding his cheek where she d kissed him. Under his breath, he said, "I m really gonna miss her."

When they were gone, his attention was drawn to the silent figure standing against the wall. Looking back and forth between Eisei-sensei and the young man, he asked, "Ano Am I missing something here?"

The young man walked forward, dropping to his knees in supplication. "My name is Sendatsu (guide). I humbly beg your forgiveness for what I have done to you and your family."

Ranma, needless to say, was taken aback by the spectacle before him. Sendatsu was on his knees, his forehead touching the ground. "Eeto I don t know what you ve done, but I don t think all that is necessary."

Sendatsu stood up with a smile, shaking his head slightly. "Perhaps it would be best if I explained myself." Indicating the door, he said, "Over some tea?"

As soon as Seijin started out, Ranma followed. When they were downstairs, Ranma heard the group talking in the family room. Poking his head in, he saw Ryoga, Ukyo, Toshi, and his father. They didn t seem to see him. Stepping fully, he asked, "How you guys doin ?" They didn t acknowledge his presence.

"I ve made it so they re otherwise occupied," Sendatsu explained. Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma followed the two into the kitchen. There were stranger things he d seen happen.

They got themselves some tea and retired to the dining room.

"What kinda name is Sendatsu, anyway," Ranma asked. It wasn t a proper name, as far as Ranma knew.

Smiling at the current topic of their discussion, Sendatsu said, "It s more of a position, rather than a name. You wouldn t be able to pronounce my true name. Your current body isn t capable of producing the proper sounds and your mind isn t yet able to use the visuals and thought patterns associated with it."

Ranma blanched at the explanation. "Current form? Whatcha mean by that?"

"It d probably be easier to show you rather than explain."

Eisei-sensei became alarmed at that. "Do you think that s wise?"

"Oh, I think so. He s seen some pretty strange things in his travels. A phoenix, one of the dragons, and various others. I don t think I ll be much of a surprise for him." The old man still looked skeptical.

Putting words to action, he transformed.

Ranma gaped at the sight before him, his eyes bugging out. It wasn t every day he saw somebody metamorphose right before his eyes. True, he d seen some strange things, but this one was right beside Saffron s.

Before him stood a beast from legend. It was the size of a horse, but it had a mane much like a lion s. It s coat was a luminous gold, much like the sunrise he d seen that morning. The mane was darker, whereas its hooves and single horn were a golden pink. Sendatsu s eyes were the same violet he had while in human form.

"You re you re a kirin," Ranma finally managed. It wasn t anywhere near the guy he d chased after before to save Akane. This was actually a live, breathing KIRIN. One of the most powerful legends in the Orient. It was the alter ego of the westerner s unicorn, only extremely more powerful.

Sendatsu changed back. "Yes, I am."

The two turned to the laughing Seijin. Gasping out, he said, "Oh, I don t think I ll be much of a surprise for him, he says. Oho aaaaahahahaha." They waited for him to settle down.

"As I was saying before," Sendatsu continued. "I ve wronged you in many ways. I ve come to you to beg forgiveness and tell you some of the reasons for what I ve done."

"I can t forgive you anything if I don t know what you ve done, now can I," Ranma quipped.

"All too true. First off, I have to apologize for your curse. I had a small hand in it. You see, you were going to end up there eventually. I just pushed up the date a little. I also made it so that you would get your current form, rather than some other."

"You re sayin that you got me changed into a girl?" Ranma didn t like where the conversation was going. He started glowing malevolently.

"Well, yes. Either that or something like what the others you know have. Would you rather turn into a duck, panda, or pig? A cat, even?" Ranma flinched minutely at that last. "No, I didn t do it to distress you. Rather, I did it because I wanted you to have a human form. I hope you can at least appreciate that fact."

It didn t sound too bad to Ranma. "Okay," Ranma conceded. There was more, he knew, so he plunged in feet first. "You have more bad news, don t you?"

Sheepishly, Sendatsu hung his head. "Yes, unfortunately. Your multiple fianc e problem? I started that. It was so you could have a Choice. You did choose shortly after you met her, but complications followed after. The two of you had some problems and it didn t go well after that."

"Ano What do you mean by choice?" Ranma was beyond confused on this part. Much like a detective in the dark with no clue to help him.

"You ve made your Choice. Where do you think you went when you were attacked and were in need of a sanctuary?"

Ranma gave that some thought. "I don t know, really," he admitted. "All I remember is going up to a cave and finding a rose. From there, I was shot somewhere and locked up in a little dark room."

Seijin interrupted. "A rose you said? Up in a cave on the other side of the shrine?" It had been useful, after all.

Ranma nodded.

Sendatsu picked up from where he left off. "You went back to Nerima and found the only person there who could help you out. She accepted and that s how you came to be in her body."

Ranma dreaded it, but he had to ask the ultimate question anyways. "Who?"

Sendatsu grinned from ear to ear. "Why, Akane, of course."

Ranma reeled in his chin. "That kawaikunee tomboy? Why would she do somethin like that?"

"Only because you d Chosen her. None of the other girls could have done what she did. She could, only because of that fact."

That disturbed Ranma, only because there was one teensy-weensy little problem with the situation. "But we re not fianc es anymore."

Sendatsu lost his amusement. "That s another thing I did. Do you remember that night the two of you had your fight?" Seeing Ranma s flat stare, he continued. "Of course you do. A lot of that was my doing. I had my reasons for that, though. I was told that you needed further training. In order for me to get you here, I had to make it so that you could to on a training trip alone. If you d have gone while still engaged, there would have been a few complications. Besides, have you heard of the term, the heart grows fonder in one s absence , or something like that?"

"Not really."

"Well, haven t you admitted how you feel about her?"

Ranma looked at him strangely. "I did that a long time ago."

Letting out an explosive breath, Sendatsu said, "No. What I mean is, didn t you just admit out loud recently to others, including Toshi just recently, how you felt about her? It took you a while to even be able to say the words, much less think them to yourself."

"Yeah, I guess," Ranma admitted. "But that doesn t count for anything. Especially if it s not returned."

"Baka yarou. The two of you are so mule-headed that it s getting on my nerves. As far as Akane goes, I was the one who influenced her that night. I did it to your father, too, only because he would have taken you on a training trip, making it so you didn t come here. The thoughts they had were what I planted in her head. Akane just reacted to them in her usual manner. She s gotten better with her temper since then, too. Seeing how she treated you has set her back a step to contemplate her own actions.

"That s another reason I separated you two. You were constantly fighting with each other so that you couldn t get close enough to each other without all of Nerima bursting into flames."

That sparked off an idea for Seijin. There was something about such relationships. There were only a few with such strong emotions. Filing it away for later perusal, he continued to listen.

"Or me getting clobbered," Ranma said.

"Do you see what I mean now? I did have my reasons for doing all of this, but I still feel that I must seek your forgiveness. When I went to petition for any way around doing any of it, I was told that it was part of my job. And, finally, I am allowed some leeway in making a presence in your life."

Ranma s eye twitched. If a kirin had someone say that he had to do something, that meant there were some REALLY powerful beings involved. And he didn t want to know who they were. Casting glances about him, he was relieved to note that that there weren t any other supernatural beings present. *Nope. Don t want to know. Uh-uh.*

"I guess that if it s your job, then there s nothing to forgive really. Why me, though?"

At this, both Seijin and Sendatsu burst into laughter, pointing at each other. Ranma waited for them to get ahold of themselves, tapping on the table in the meantime.

Collecting himself, Seijin said, "That s exactly what I said when he came to me the first time. Why me . The question anybody will ask. As far as that goes, if not you, then whom?"

Ranma thought about it for a while. "What exactly did you pick me for, anyway?"

"Since you chose the life of a martial artist, you picked up the mantle of being a Champion. Not many are chosen for this. But, since you re of a high caliber, you have a moral responsibility to serve and protect. More so than many others. It goes with the territory."

"Hmmm. I guess I know what you mean. But I didn t start getting as good as I am until I met the old mummy, though."

Sendatsu blushed a little. "That s another thing I set up some time ago. You needed the training, so I selected her. Both her and Shampoo were a packaged bundle, as was insisted upon by their own authorities."

Ranma decided not to comment on that last. "So, basically, what you re saying is, you wanted or needed me to get better and set it up so I would get the training. Then you had all these girls start chasing me. Though I didn t mind it much at first, it got old after a while. Even dangerous. Now that that s all over, what about now? I mean, are you saying that since I chose Akane, I should pick up where we left off? I don t think that s gonna work." He folded his arms, emphasizing the point that he, and Akane, were still mule-headed.

"No, I don t mean for you two to pick up where you left off. The two of you need to work that out for yourselves. I only guide, as my name refers to. Everything else is up to you. If you want to make up with her, that s your prerogative."

"Oh. Well, as far as forgiving you, I don t know," Ranma started. He paused dramatically, allowing Sendatsu to sweat a little. With an amused look after some of what he d been trying for happened, he said, "But I guess it wasn t all your fault. You said that it s part of your job, and I can t hold that against you. Your methods have much left to be desired, though." Turning serious, he continued, "Next time you decide to really mess up my life, let me know first, would ya?"

Sendatsu smiled. "We ll see. I think it s about time that I get going. I have to check up on someone first." So saying, he stood up.

The others followed suite, walking him to the door. Ranma and Sendatsu bowed to each other. "It s been nice meetin ya. And I guess I should thank you for some of the stuff you have done for me, by what you re tellin me. It sure beats bein a pig or somethin worse." His face became flushed as he said, "And thanks for lettin me know about Akane. I ll see what I can do, if there is anything."

"My pleasure." He walked out.

Something caught Ranma s eye. Looking towards it, he saw that it was nothing. When he turned back to where Sendatsu should have been, he found that he was gone. He shrugged it off. The two went back inside to visit with the rest of the group. **********

Soun was sitting beside Akane when she finally came out of her coma. It had been just over an hour since the start of the ordeal. She looked ragged. As soon as she started moving, he burst into a fresh set of wailing.

Hearing the commotion, Dr. Tofu and Kasumi entered the room.

The doctor became all business. Turning to Kasumi, he asked, "Would you take your father outside for a few moments?"

She nodded, gently prying her father off of Akane by the elbow and leading him outside. Dr. Tofu then proceeded to give Akane a thorough examination.

Finished, he asked, "Can you explain what exactly brought this about?"

"Eeto ," stalled, contemplating the blankets she was twisting in her hands. "You ll probably think I ve gone nuts."

"Why don t you try me?"

Looking into his eyes, she saw his sincerity. Gaining strength from this, she explained. "When I was practicing in the dojo, I felt a sense of danger. After checking everywhere, I ended up back where I d started. Then then I felt that Ranma needed my help. I don t know how I know he was in danger, but I let him in somehow." She looked confused at her statement, but continued. "When I did, I got a lot of energy going through me. I couldn t handle it, and that s when I went blank. I guess I passed out."

Dr. Tofu thought about what she d just said. *That might account for the duality I saw. I ll have to check into that. There has to be something written about it somewhere.* Aloud, "I suggest you just rest for the remainder of the day. If you have any problems, don t hesitate to call. I ll also want to examine you tomorrow, if at all possible."

Akane nodded. "Sure. I can stop in just after my run."

"Good. Now, get some rest. You ve had an interesting day and need it. Take care." He left.

Akane didn t move from her bed until her door was closed. Getting up, she went to her desk and pulled out her journal. After making her entry, she went back to bed as prescribed. Her mind was awhirl as she thought about the implications of what had transpired.

Sendatsu left, glad that Akane would be all right. **********

As soon as Ranma walked into the family room, he found himself glomped on by Ukyo. Extricating himself, he then found that he was being given a thorough examination by his father, then roughly patted on the shoulder. He was fortunate enough that Ryoga and Toshi weren t needing reassurance about his health.

"You feelin better now, Ranchan," Ukyo asked. "I was pretty worried when I found out that you d been knocked out somehow."

"I m fine now. Nothin to worry about," Ranma reassured her. "How did you guys end up finding me?"

Ukyo smiled. "We followed Shampoo and Cologne. By the way, where are they," she asked, looking about. She couldn t remember how Mousse had suddenly disappeared while they d been talking. For some reason, they d been distracted.

Seijin stepped forward. "They ve departed. I doubt that you ll ever see them again."

"Good," Ukyo replied. "If I see them again, it ll be too soon. They ve been after Ranchan for too long, if you ask me." The rest of the Nerima crew agreed.

"So, anything new goin on?" He looked pointedly at his father.

Seeing himself being scrutinized, he spoke up. "Not much. You re probably wondering why I was helping them, ne?" Ranma nodded, his face expressionless. "Well, they showed up last night at our house and Cologne told me that either I was to help her or she d hurt you and your mother. I had to help."

Ranma gave Genma a full minute to sweat. Finally relenting, he said, "It s all right. Nobody was hurt, so there s no real harm done, I guess. Try to fight a little harder, though, would ya?"

Genma started to puff up his chest with indignation, but was interrupted before he could begin his tirade.

"Long time no see, Ranma," Ryoga said. "I see that you re still causing trouble wherever you go. Don t you ever get tired of it?"

Ranma laughed good-naturedly. "Nah. It s part of my charm, don t you know?" The others joined him.

When their laughter died, Genma grew serious. Going to his pack, he pulled out the Saotome katana. "I have something to give you. While you re here, I want you to learn how to use this weapon. You ve been challenged to a duel." Ranma took the proffered weapon reverently, giving his father a questioning look. His father had always said that relying on a weapon was a hindrance. "Kuno showed back up, demanding a match with only the katana as a weapon. You ll be honor-bound to follow it."

"Shouldn t I use another katana," he asked. It was a family heirloom and shouldn t be used for such, he thought.

"No. That s what the Saotome clan has used whenever it was necessary. It s a simple katana, but it s been with us for quite some time." Suddenly, he remembered something else that dealt with the katana. Producing a thin wire, he grasped the pommel. Jimmying something, he popped the end off.

Inside was a tightly-rolled scroll. Pulling it out, he unrolled it and gave it to Ranma. Looking over the scroll, Ranma let out an explosive breath. "This is the techniques you made, ne?" Genma nodded. It detailed everything about the Yamasenken and the Umisenken that Genma had made many years ago. He d supposedly destroyed the only copies of the technique, saying that it was too dangerous. Ranma s hands shook. "Arigato," was all he could manage.

The others crowded around Ranma, trying to get a look at what he d just been given. Rolling the scroll up, he said, "Sorry, guys." They glared at him. He stayed firm with his convictions. It was a Saotome technique and nobody else should learn it. At least, of course, not until he d mastered it for himself.

His stomach growled, reminding them that it was time for some food for everybody. Toshi pulled herself out of the crowd and headed to the kitchen. Ukyo and Ranma followed her. When Ukyo looked at him with a question in her eyes, he explained with, "It s too crowded in there. Besides, I haven t forgiven Oyaji for everything yet, you know." Ukyo nodded her understanding.

Ranma re-rolled the scroll, making it tighter, and put it back into the pommel for later perusal. Then the three of them proceeded to make supper. 


	7. Chapter 7

From now on, I'm not gonna put any disclaimers. I think you know who owns what.  
>Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts<br>~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese  
>*~* signifies Mandarin thoughts<p>LIVING LIFE ANEW<p>

CHAPTER VII

MACHINATIONS AND PREPARATIONS

Anymore

I can't hide the way I feel about you anymore.  
>I can't hold the hurt inside,<br>keep the pain out of my eyes anymore…

My tears are no longer waiting.  
>My resistance ain't that strong.<br>My mind keeps recreating a life with you alone.  
>And I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore.<p>

Let me make one last appeal  
>to show you how I feel about you.<br>'Cause there's no one else, I swear,  
>holds a candle anywhere next to you.<p>

My heart can't take the beating  
>not having you to hold.<br>A small voice keeps repeating,  
>deep inside my soul.<br>It says I can't keep pretending  
>I don't love you anymore…<br>I've got to take the chance  
>or let it pass by<br>if I expect to get on with my life.

My tears are no longer waiting.  
>My resistance ain't that strong.<br>But my mind keeps recreating a life with you alone.  
>And I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore.<br>Anymore.  
>Anymore…<p>

- Travis Tritt -

Ranma was out on the training field when the rest of the gang finally woke up. Eisei-sensei led the pack out to where he was practicing. They watched him until he was finished with his kata before he turned to them. "What's up," he asked, curious about the congregation he'd assembled.

"I think it's time for us to be leaving now, Ranchan," Ukyo answered him.

"Right after breakfast," Genma quipped. The others rolled their eyes.

"You're not leaving, too, Ryoga, are ya? I wanted to spar with you today." There was more, but he didn't want to talk about it in front of the others.

Cocking his head to the side, Ryoga thought about it. "I guess I can stay for a little while longer," he admitted. It wasn't like he could go anywhere in a hurry.

"Great. Why don't we got get a bite to eat?" The others muttered their agreement, trudging back to the house where Toshi was slaving away at breakfast.

Breakfast was a simple affair. Genma started acting up by trying to take the other's food, but the intent glares decided him on not pursuing the matter further. When they finished, Ranma pulled Ukyo off to the side for a quick chat.

"Say, Ucchan, why ain't ya at your father's place? You told me you were going there for the summer."

Ukyo hung her head. Under her breath, she said, "I don't have a father anymore."

Ranma felt low. "You mean that your father passed away before you went back? Why didn't anybody call you or somethin'?"

This time, instead of hanging her head, Ukyo looked Ranma straight in the eyes. In as level a voice as she could manage, she said, "I disowned the Kuonji clan. I'm no longer a part of that family. He couldn't accept me, so I decided that I wouldn't accept him. He blamed me for everything when it was him that had me act like a boy and all, saying that only a boy could fulfill the honorable obligations of vengeance. Since I failed in that, he said that I was pretty much worthless."

"Oh," Ranma said intelligently. He kicked himself mentally. *Baka.* Aloud, he said, "Well, let me think of somethin'. Okay? Maybe my mother can help out. When I get back, I'll talk to her and we'll figure out somethin' for ya." Ukyo's heart was in her eyes and Ranma could see it. He held his hands up, taking a step back.

"Whatever you want, Ranchan. Now that you're not engaged to Akane, you can marry me, you know."

"Ano…It still stands on how I feel about you, Ucchan." The light in her eyes dimmed a bit. "But I think that we can make something out of this. Just give me some time to think, would ya?"

Ukyo snorted at his last remark. *Ranchan think? That's a new one.* Seeing her mocking smile, he chucked her under the chin to get her attention.

"Just give me a chance, eh?" Ukyo smiled, humoring him. "Well, I want to talk to Oyaji before you take off." Putting words to action, Ranma went to his father and dragged him outside by the ear, saying, "I want to have a private word with you, Oyaji." It was said loud enough that the others took the hint and didn't follow like they wanted. Most Nerimites liked the training sessions that Ranma had with his father. It tended to be one-sided.

Genma managed to pick himself up. Looming over Ranma, he said, "You should show respect to your father, boy. Your impertinence shames me." He put on his act of the 'mortally wounded'.

Not buying into it, Ranma said, "Cut it out. I want to talk to you seriously this time." He folded his arms, tapping his foot until he got Genma's undivided attention.

Genma noted the change in Ranma. Before, Ranma would have just instigated a fight, shouting what he wanted to say the whole time. With a sigh, Genma asked, "What is you want, boy?"

Ranma studied his feet for a minute before speaking. "I kinda left on bad terms with you. Ano…Even through all that, you still looked out for me and fought Shampoo, keeping her off of me in the meantime." Ranma's throat stopped him from continuing. It didn't want to utter what he was about to say. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he managed, "Domo. For helping me."

To say that Genma was shocked was an understatement. He was floored. His son hadn't thanked him in ages. He didn't know what to make of it. Reeling his chin in, he tried to gather his scattered thoughts. Instead of letting words convey his thoughts, he simply patted Ranma on the shoulder.

Before Genma could say anything or go anywhere, Ranma managed to continue. "It doesn't mean that I forgive you about everythin' or nothin' like that. Just that I'm glad you were there. I also found out that it wasn't really your fault that you went off on me that night."

It took a moment to figure out what night Ranma was talking about. When it finally hit him, he looked at Ranma curiously. "What do you mean by that, boy?"

"Can't really give you the details," Ranma hedged. "I just know it wasn't exactly your fault when you got mad at me when it came to Akane." *There. I said it and I didn't get struck by lightning,* Ranma thought, sparing a worried glance to the sky.

Genma just shrugged it off much like he did everything else. It didn't concern him, really. As long as Ranma had no ill feelings anymore, his life would be better around Nodoka. Not the best, he knew, but easier on his thinning hide. *How to get them back together…* His thoughts were troubled, but he knew that as soon as he got back, both him and Soun would come up with at solution. Wisely, he kept his thoughts to himself.

All of their schemes of late had been quashed by Nodoka time after time. With Ranma gone, there was no way they could get the two together. They were fresh out of ideas. It wasn't like they had any to start with, but that was besides the point. After over two years of trying to get Ranma and Akane together, their limited choice of machinations had run out. Besides, Nodoka had something on them that helped keep them quiet. It wasn't much of anything, really, but it did give her leverage.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a time. Now that Ranma had thanked his father, he had nothing else to say that would help. Together, the said, "I think it's time we go back inside."

When they entered, the others somewhat disappointed to see that Genma was still able to walk and didn't have any fresh bruises.

Kuno sat in a meditative state, his breathing even. His katana was balanced by his knees. In between his practice sessions, he would sit and let a calming state come over him. It allowed him to assess his own improvements.

A soft knocking at the shoji alerted him that Sasuke was seeking his attention. In one swift motion, he stood and faced the diminutive ninja. His glare at being interrupted sent the small man into a fit of bowing.

"Master Kuno, there is a gentleman here to see you."

It had been a while since anybody had visited the Kuno estates. It was curious. "Take him to the parlor. I will meet with him there."

"Yes, Master Kuno." Without anything further, Sasuke went to do as he'd been bidden.

Sheathing his katana, Tatewaki made his way to the rendezvous.

The man he was to meet with was standing beside the window. The sun streaming in made it difficult for Tatewaki to make out features. Normally, light would bend around a figure, but the hakami and tunic that he wore soaked up the light, making his shape larger than it really was. The silhouette didn't move when he stepped further into the parlor. In fact, he acted in a way that the young man never even existed. Kuno stood around for a moment, waiting for the man to acknowledge his entrance. When that didn't occur, he became impatient.

It angered Kuno to be ignored. But to do so in his own house intensified it. "Turn around, knave, so that I might see you. Surely you are not afraid to let your host know your face."

Without turning, the man said in a gravely voice, "It would do you well to learn to be more of a hospitable host. I was only admiring your garden outside. Your impertinent interruption only sours the enjoyment of it."

Kuno fumed, but deigned not to say anything until his guest finished regarding the flowers and other sculpted plants outside the window. Finally, he turned and stepped out of the light that shrouded him.

His face was quite angular, the skin taut against his skull. It made his eyes stand out more, his cheekbones prominent. He was aged, but also seemed to have stopped at some point in the process and mummified. Tatewaki kept himself from blanching with extreme effort.

The man gestured with one skeletal hand. "It is a wonderful place you have here. I have heard tales that there is a practitioner of Kendo who resides here. Would you be the one I seek?"

Kuno found himself speaking through a strange lassitude. "Hai. I would be the one that you speak of. Have you heard of the prowess I possess, or the deeds that I have accomplished in the short time I have resided on this earth? I am Kuno Tatewaki, master of these estates and the most artful of Nerima to execute the art of Kendo. And who might you be, gentle sir, who graces these walls with your presence?"

The man looked mildly amused with Kuno's ranting. It was genteel, yet archaic. Much like himself, in fact. "Ken is simply what people call me these days. I have heard that you are to be dueling soon. Thus, I have come to provide my services in the means of instruction and as a sparring partner." Ken's hand rested on the hilt of the sword hanging at his side.

Kuno's eyes brightened. Having one of exemplary skill would be helpful if he were to defeat the villainous Saotome. It was fortuitous that he would have both an instruction and a sparring partner. "Shall we be off to test one another's skills? This opportunity is most fortuitous for the both of us." He wondered how the man had gotten the information concerning the upcoming bout with Ranma, but dismissed it as of no consequence. It only mattered that he was present and would provide a most pleasant distraction.

"It would be a pleasure. Please lead." The two went left the parlor.

When Sasuke returned to the parlor to clean later that day, he smelled the faint scent of turned earth with a putrid scent accompanying it.

Four people walked along the path to the training grounds. They were separated into two groups. Ranma and Ryoga in front. After them came Seijin and Toshi. Ukyo and Genma had left for Nerima only a little while before.

"Did you get to see Akari yet," Ranma asked.

"Yeah. I just came from there a few days ago. It was good to see her. How long have you been here now?"

"Several weeks, I guess. I traveled around for a while before I was told about Eisei-sensei." Ryoga gave Ranma a thoughtful look. They had hardly spoken the day before, since they'd been too tired to stay up and talk late into the night like they had wanted. Thus, they hadn't caught up on the latest in each other's lives. Ryoga noticed something in Ranma's voice he'd never heard before. It took him a while to place it. It sounded much like respect for the old man. He'd never heard anything like that from the arrogant youth in all the time he'd known him. None for Cologne or for Happosai…or anybody else, for that matter.

"When I saw you fighting Cologne, I think you had the upper hand there for a while. At least, once you got your bearings and the three of us wore her down, of course."

Ranma smirked. "Yep. Eisei-sensei's pretty tough, so he's been giving me a hard time. I picked up a few more attacks since I've been here. His ki manipulation is great."

"Oh? You wanna show me some of what you've learned?"

"Let's say that, when we spar, I show ya? That way we can see how good they are." The two had been rivals for so long, they knew each other's weaknesses fairly well. Now that Ranma had had some more training, he wanted to see how far he'd progressed since he'd been training.

Ryoga gave it some consideration. It's been a while, but a serious fight with Ranma would allow him to rid himself of some stress. "Sure. Maybe I'll get something out of it. I haven't done much but travel for a while now. We haven't fought for months, either. I think you need a good pounding."

Ranma snorted. "Sure. Whatever, Ryoga."

They finally reached their destination. The other two found themselves a place to watch the spectacle that was about to unfold before them. Ranma and Ryoga went to the center of the training area. Bowing to each other, they assumed their stances.

With an unspoken signal, they shot towards each other. They traded blows, alternating from forearm strikes to knife kicks. Their arms flashed before them, blurring. Ranma picked up his speed and found the holes in Ryoga's defenses. This sent the fanged boy sliding back, digging ruts into the ground, as he was pummeled. With a grunt, he broke contact and leapt away from Ranma.

Ranma didn't follow. Instead, he pulled forth a ki sphere and shot it at his retreating opponent. When it was within a meter, he used his control to make it explode.

Ryoga took the brunt of the blast in the chest, making his tunic smoke dangerously. Pulling forth his own sphere, he sent it at Ranma. It was negated by the return fire made by Ranma. The resultant wind force pushed their hair back and rippled their clothes.

Once again, they leapt at each other. This time, the fight alternated from kicks to roundhouse punches. Ryoga sent Ranma rolling with one spin-kick. Following closely, he ended up beating a hasty retreat as Ranma tapped a smart tattoo of punches into his midsection. Even with his endurance, the repeated blows in one spot didn't feel good.

They paused a moment to catch their breath. "So, bacon breath, ya gettin' tired already?"

Ryoga's eyes narrowed at the taunt. It'd been a while since Ranma had given him a hard time about his curse. He tried to keep a lid on his trip-wired emotions. It was a sore spot still. "Nope. I'm just gonna grind you into the ground. Think you can handle that?"

Ranma grinned. "Only if your little piggy feet can reach me." He was trying to get Ryoga mad enough so he would start using his full potential. He knew the right buttons to push. Ryoga was more of a berserker and his skills would show themselves as he grew angrier. That's when Ranma would know how well he'd become. "Or is it that the widdle P-chan can't fight like a man? I think you're lookin' more like the porker you are. Kinda soft around the edges there, I see."

Ryoga was starting to glow an unhealthy ruddy color. He didn't know why Ranma had turned on him, but he didn't like it one bit. Seeing Ranma's smirking face, he finally caught on. He was a little slow on some things, but not entirely stupid as some thought. "Just shut up and fight, Ranma." Taking his own advice, Ryoga shot towards Ranma, only to miss the young man. Ranma stung Ryoga's left shoulder with a quick series of punches. Ryoga roared like a wounded animal, swinging at Ranma. Ryoga knew that Ranma was only trying to goad him into what they'd done so many times before. Use all of the skill they had, yet nothing lethal. He decided to play along.

One phrase came to him easily. It had been a familiar litany for quite some time. So he uttered it.

"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"

And the fight was in earnest.

Ryoga used all the force he could muster to smash Ranma. His opponent slid the blows to the side, throwing familiar taunts out. It was difficult to deflect the blows, but Ranma managed it somehow. It seemed like his arm was an I-beam deflecting a wrecking ball. Though the steel would hold, it still took serious punishment.

Eisei, who didn't know the relationship between the two all that well, wondered why Ranma was harassing Ryoga. It was apparent that the jibes stung. Ryoga was smiling, too, he saw. Shaking his head, he let the two fight without any outside interruptions. They were friends and wouldn't harm each other. Permanently, that is.

At least, he hoped.

Meanwhile, Ranma was tiring of being on the defensive. It was now time to go onto the offensive.

Catching Ryoga's forearm, he pivoted and threw a knee strike into Ryoga's midriff. It doubled Ryoga over, allowing Ranma to send a debilitating strike to his neck. Separating himself from their tangle, Ranma stepped back so that Ryoga could regain his equilibrium. He could have taken Ryoga down right then, but that wasn't the purpose of the sparring. They faced off again, Ryoga's eyebrows meeting in a fierce scowl.

With a low growl from each, they sought to tear each other apart. The entire time, Ranma was grinning like a madman. It had been a while since he'd had a fight that didn't mean actual death and dismemberment. The day before was an exception in the monotonous life he'd become used to lately. Having Ryoga using his true skills was invigorating.

Drawing in the power from the earth, he pulled in as much ki energy as he dared. Shooting off several spheres at Ryoga, he leapt right after them. When Ryoga uncrossed his arms and was about to initiate a charge at Ranma, he found himself being pummeled once again. Desperately, he fell back.

Ranma let Ryoga get out of his reach. Assessing the situation, he noticed that Ryoga was getting worn out fairly easily. Much more so than he'd seen before. "What's the matter, pork butt? Ya ain't been workin' out as much lately, eh?"

Ryoga wasn't getting tired because of any lack of training. It was, in fact, because of Ranma's heightened skills. If he wanted to be able to give Ranma a challenge ever again, he'd have to find somebody much like Seijin in order to learn and refine his own prowess. But that didn't stop him from giving Ranma a few good whacks in the meantime. With a guttural yell, he rushed Ranma.

The two met. To Toshi's eyes, the two were a blur. They were striking each other with blows that even she could feel. The ground beneath them was absorbing the pressure they issued to each other and sending a shockwave to the surrounding area. The air around them seemed alive. Should anybody step within a meter of them, she thought they'd end up frying from the massive amount of ki they were putting out. Seeing Ranma use so much skill was astonishing.

Her bouts with Ranma were mild compared to what the two were displaying at that moment. She shuddered to think of how Ranma could actually tear her apart without breaking a sweat. When Ryoga exploded the ground at their feet, she found that she was being showered with large clods of dirt. She didn't know why Ranma was moving around in a circle, either, but didn't want to ask.

Just as the two finished the spiral, Ryoga finally noticed what he'd been led into. He thought he'd only been pressing his advantage on Ranma. It was, in fact, only a ploy. "Kuso," was his only exclamation.

"Hiryu Shoten Ha," Ranma yelled out, striking Ryoga in the chest with a tightly clenched fist. Ryoga became airborne. He'd been subject to the finishing move a time or two and knew, somewhat, what to expect.

Ryoga tucked and prepared for his eventual return to the earth. As he fell, he was blasted with several ki spheres. It slowed him down considerably. After a full minute of flight, he rocketed into the earth.

Ranma helped him out of the crater. The two looked weary from the battle, but were still intact.

"You're rather fond of that move still, I see," Ryoga commented wearily. "Cheater."

"Yeah. It's pretty good. Everybody else likes to burn. So I use it against them. You know that. Besides, if ya ain't cheatin', ya ain't trying. Right?" Ranma stopped in his tracks, slapping the heel of his hand to his forehead. "I'm startin' to sound like Oyaji, aren't I?"

"You've got a ways to go, but you're getting close, Ranma," Ryoga confirmed smugly.

They walked up to the spectators. "Like the fireworks?" Ranma asked.

Toshi nodded numbly. "Quite impressive there, Ranma-kun," Seijin said for her. "I believe you told me that that last move there was of Amazon origin? I haven't had a chance to make any contact with the Amazons, so I'm not too familiar with their attacks. My travels usually tended to skirt their area without infringing upon their territory."

Ranma nodded silently. The old man probably would have been snatched up as a husband if he'd been caught by the Amazons. "Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu, also. That one where he made the first hole in the ground."

The old man didn't look amused about that. His words were lined with steel. "You two will, of course, be fixing up the training area. And I want it done before tomorrow sometime, too."

Ranma and Ryoga exchanged a look. With a heavy sigh and a shrugging of shoulders, they went in search of a pair of shovels and a wheelbarrow.

After finding the proper tools, they had time to talk without interruption.

"Where you traveling to now," Ranma asked, throwing a load of dirt into the wheelbarrow.

"I wasn't traveling anywhere in particular, actually. I just got lost a few days ago and was wandering around like usual. It was when I heard you fighting Cologne that I happened to find you."

"Oh. Well, it's nice of ya to stop by." He wasn't about to give thanks to Ryoga for the added help, but what he'd said was close enough.

"Speaking of which…When I saw my mother and father, they told me about this guy that cursed us." Seeing Ranma's questioning look, he continued with an explanation. "A while back someone of the Hibiki line ticked some sorcerer off and he made it so that our family wanders around. That's why I get lost so easily. Same with the rest of my family. The thing is, though, we're drawn to only a few things. What we consider our home, family, and friends."

They shoveled in silence before Ryoga gathered the nerve to ask Ranma a question that had been bothering him for a while. As they were driving the wheelbarrow up to the hole, he finally found the courage.

"Do you…do you think of me as a friend? I mean, I always tried to beat you up and all. But, other than that, what always made you hold back so much?"

Ranma dumped the wheelbarrow, allowing himself some time for thought, before answering. "When you first arrived in Nerima, nobody knew me from before. Before me getting my curse, that is. You treated me like you did before. Wanting to fight and all. You remember me taking you back home and all, don't you? Think I did that just for kicks? You were about the only one in school at the time that knew how it was to live on the road. We didn't have much in the way of contact with anybody else at the time and I thought that we might get to know each other, even if it would be for a little while. Also, you were about the only one who could fight decently at the time.

"Even though you still didn't like me, you would help me. Like the time I learned the Hiryu Shoten Ha. Sure, I tricked you, but you were still there to help with it the whole time. That's not the only time you've helped me. We've helped each other over the years, so I thought that we were friends of a sort. It's kinda strange, but that's just the way we are, I guess. The only times I didn't like you was because…" Ranma trailed off, not wanting to go further and get into it with Ryoga about the past.

Ryoga hung his head, knowing exactly what Ranma was talking about and avoiding. So he finished what Ranma had been saying. "Because I was a jerk and used your honor against you and, at the same time, was trying to steal your fiancée away from you."

Ranma nodded mutely.

Ryoga looked him in the eye. "Well, I…" It was hard, but he'd promised himself he'd do it the next time he saw Ranma. "I'm sorry for what I did, Ranma." Closing his eyes and gathering all of his willpower, he barreled through Ranma's attempt to wave it off. "No, just listen. What I did wasn't right and now I'm trying to make amends. You didn't knock me into the pool on purpose. I blamed you because it was the easy thing to do. But I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things."

"Look, Ryoga, the past is over and done with. Why don't we let it go? Okay?"

Ryoga agreed with him, appreciating the forgiveness he'd been given. There was more, though. "I've also decided to tell Akane about me and P-chan."

Ranma looked uncomfortable at that pronouncement. "She's gonna kill both of us, ya know."

Ryoga barked a short laugh. "You're not gonna be there to help me, I think. So I'm going to get the worst of it."

Pulling an analogy out, Ranma said, "Yep. I won't be there to pull your fat out of the fire." Ryoga let that slide for the time being, only giving Ranma a disdainful sniff for his efforts.

"We'll see if I live through it. I'll try explaining it to her where you came in, but I can't promise you anything about how she's going to take it. She still may be waiting for you when you get back. She does know where you live, right?"

Ranma sighed. "Yeah. I live on the other side of Nerima, but she can still find me."

"Back to that guy who cursed my family, though. I'm looking for any information on him. Do you think you can help me with it?"

"Sure," Ranma responded immediately. "What's his name?"

"Well, the scroll only called him by his occupation. Youjutsusha (sorcerer). He's from China and we were ronin at the time, I think. Sell-swords is what the scroll indicated, at least."

Ranma thought for a moment. "It's always China, isn't it," he complained. "No matter what I do, I always end up going to China. It's gotta be because of this damn curse. I'd like to just get rid of it."

"Hey, it's not all that bad, is it? I mean, you could have gotten a worse curse, ne?" Ryoga smacked Ranma's shoulder companionably. Ranma grunted under the impact. Grinning evilly, he said, "You could have become a cat like Shampoo, you know."

Ranma shuddered. "No, thanks."

"Then stop complaining. You got the better deal out of all of us. Except for Taro, I think. He likes his, so it's no problem for him, you know." The only thing Taro hated was his name, as he'd pointed out so often before.

"What about you? You hate yours, yet you say you want to be with Akari. I just don't get that. I think that you'd try avoiding her, since you talk about how much you hate it."

"It's kinda hard to explain. I…She…ano…" It was difficult for Ryoga to express in words how he felt. He gave Ranma a helpless look. "I don't know why I feel the way I do. Either it's an infatuation with her like it was with Akane, or it's something real. I honestly don't know. But, when I'm around her, I feel that my curse really doesn't matter anymore. She cares for me either way. Oh, I know she adores pigs and sees me as another of her little projects on the farm, but that's not the part I'm looking at when I consider her qualities. She has a lot of other things that make it so I feel that way. We have our differences, but we manage. All couples have them, I've heard.

"If I never get rid of my curse, I still have a place to call home. If I do get rid of it, I'll still have the same home for myself. And I'll be teaching her pigs to sumo wrestle, either way. Not much of a martial arts occupation, but it's something I can do. Other than wander around all the time, that is. It's a security I really haven't had…ever. It was nice being Akane's pet. But that's all I was to her. And a friend in my natural form. It's different with Akari. Come to think of it, I don't think that Akane would have been so nice to me if she knew that I actually turned into a pig. We'll see how she feels soon enough, though."

The two martial artists sighed. They really didn't want to be around when Akane exploded. It was inevitable, but something they dreaded. They bent their backs into the task before them, trying to finish before the end of the day.

Nabiki sat in her room disconsolately. She had a dilemma on her hands. It seemed that everybody had no use for the pictures of Ranma that she had. That put a damper on the profit margin. The ones she had were extras. She'd held onto them for later schemes, hoping for some quick cash. Such was not the case.

How others had the pictures was because she'd sold the negatives to someone, which had been a mistake They, in turn, had made more prints and then sold them. Therein lay the problem.

For no particular reason, she took some pictures with her and walked down to the family room. Sitting on the couch, she turned on the television. After flipping through the channels several times and finding nothing of interest, she finally turned it off.

There was nothing to distract her. Most of the high school students were with their parents on vacations elsewhere. That hindered her money-making schemes drastically.

There was one word she was looking for. She hadn't felt it for quite some time.

Bored. That was it. She was thoroughly, disgustingly, bored. With nothing to do but sit around and stew about the loss of opportunities, she was beginning to mope.

And she hated moping. There were better things to do than that. Pulling herself off of the couch, she headed for the kitchen. Something better, like snacking. Most women envied her figure, even though she was constantly eating. She attributed it to the exercising and high metabolism. Much like her other sisters. Running around chasing rumors that had an inkling of truth and catching people in compromising situations was exhilarating. That used a lot of energy. Most of the work she did was like that. The others she worked with were just contacts, really.

Opening the refrigerator, she found what she was looking for. With the quick acquisition of a spoon, she headed out to the koi pond. Looking up, she found that the clouds were threatening rain, but were holding back for the time being. It caused the air to be muggy, but bearable. Being broiled was a change from being baked or fried, at least.

The sounds of somebody working out in the dojo drifted to her.

That could only mean one person. Akane.

Sauntering over to the dojo, she peeked inside to see her younger sister practicing a kata. Stepping inside, she sat down against the wall to polish off her snack.

Akane didn't bother to acknowledge her as she worked out. After having finished off the ice cream, she laid the bowl in her lap and pulled out several pictures. She'd timed it just as Akane was finishing up her workout.

Seeing Nabiki staring at a picture, Akane became curious. It wasn't often that her sister came near the dojo without a reason. And it probably involved what she was holding. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Akane walked up to her older sister, asking, "What have you got there, oneechan."

"Oh, nothing much. Just a photo. Nothing you'd be interested in." She started to put it back into her pocket. Before it reached its intended destination, Akane snatched it out of her hands.

"A new boyfriend or something," Akane asked, before seeing the picture. Looking at it, her breath caught. It most definitely wasn't a picture of a new boyfriend. "Why are you looking at a picture of Ranma for?"

Nabiki smiled disarmingly. "I was just enjoying the peace and quiet. Then the thought popped into my head about why that was. And I just happened to find a few pics of him."

"Oh." Akane started to hand the picture back, but withdrew her hand so she could look at the picture once more. It showed the young martial artist doing one of his poses after a fight with Ryoga. His eyes were alive with delight and the picture seemed to capture the exuberance he was emitting.

Nabiki watched as Akane stared at the picture for a full minute before pulling her eyes away. "You don't want it, do you?"

Akane shrugged, saying, "Not really." As she started to hand it back, she pulled away once more. "Well…"

"How about four hundred yen each? And fifteen hundred for a set of five?" She pulled out several more for inspection.

It took a while for Akane to contemplate the offer. The picture kept distracting her. In a tiny voice, she said, "Okay."

A predatory gleam finally manifested itself in Nabiki's eyes. It was now time to do some serious haggling. "How about one or two poster-sized? I can get them done up for a reasonable amount."

Finally, it was time for Akane to become suspicious. Looking at her sister warily, she said, "I don't think so. The pictures here are fine. Thanks." Thus saying, she walked into the house and up to her room.

Which left Nabiki sitting in the dojo by herself. Nonplused with the dismissal, she walked to the kitchen. There was a big smile on her face.

Once again, she had a market.

The two young men sat back after having polished off the meal. There was evidence that Ranma's appetite was starting to grow. He'd actually been able to polish off another plate of tempura and a bowl of rice. That made it about five servings of each.

Ryoga looked at Ranma with disgust. "Don't you ever stop eating?"

Ranma shrugged. "I gotta keep healthy somehow, don't I? How am I supposed to do that if I'm starving to death?"

Ryoga leaned forward and poked Ranma in the stomach. "Starving to death? I don't think so. More like fattening up, I think."

"I am not getting fat," Ranma said indignantly. Pulling up his shirt, he showed off his washboard stomach, flexing the entire time. "See? Nothin' but skin and muscle."

He didn't move as Ryoga leaned forward again. This time to do a pinch test. As he tried vainly to grab at anything, Ranma's smirk enraged him. Placing his fingers onto Ranma's side, he rolled them and managed to get a tiny bit of skin in between his fingers. Then he squeezed.

Ranma sat up ramrod straight, emitting a piercing yelp. Jerking away from Ryoga, he hit the offending limb that had caused the excruciating pain. "Ya didn't hafta do that ya know, ya jackass." Reaching forward, he managed to catch a sensitive spot on Ryoga's armpit. He rolled his fingers much like Ryoga had done, satisfied with the cry of pain.

It soon degenerated from there.

Toshi found a broom and started hitting them with it. There was no way she was going to allow them to destroy the house with their antics. The two beat a hasty retreat from the enraged woman, laughing all the while. Upon reaching the outside air, their antics started up once again.

A pressure on their heads made them stop the pinch fight. Stepping away from each other, they allowed Seijin to drop to the ground between them. He looked up at them with an amused smile. "I see that the two of you have a lot of energy left. How about we go do some training?" He turned his gaze to Ryoga.

Ryoga saw the gleam in the old man's eyes. It hinted at great amounts of pain that would be doled out. Not that Ryoga had any problem dealing with such, but he felt that the old man wanted to delve more into the matter. Seijin smiled, revealing his teeth. He felt a push at the back of his mind. Not having any idea of what was happening to him, he succumbed to the mental push. It reacted with his survival instincts, which said fight or flight. The image of Seijin regarding him like a wolf would a rabbit decided him. "I gotta be going, I think. There's a few things I have to do. Thanks for the meals." He ran to the door, reaching around and finding his pack waiting for him. It was thrown into his face by Toshi. Swinging it around, he turned and sprinted off.

"Chicken," Ranma called after his retreating form. Turning to Eisei, he said, "Whadya do to him to scare him so bad?" He had noted the intent look before Ryoga's hasty retreat.

"Nothing. I just smiled." He looked up at Ranma with the most innocent of expressions he could muster. It didn't look like Ranma was buying it. Considering the situation carefully, he decided that the truth would me more acceptable. "Actually, he needed to be going and I felt it now was a good time. I just pushed him a little. You were holding him here when he wanted to take off and finish up a few errands."

Ranma bristled. "You were messin' with his mind or somethin'?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I did," he said bluntly. Seeing Ranma's fists clenching, he continued on with an explanation. "There's something about the two of you being in close proximity. When I look at you, I see chaos. With him as well, but not as pronounced. The problem that I saw was when the two of you get closer, the problem rose exponentially. That's why I wanted to get rid of him. There was too much potential for trouble to show up."

Ranma deflated a little. "So, you're sayin' that we're both trouble magnets and that when we get close, it gets worse?"

"Essentially."

"Is that why we've had so many problems the past several years?"

"Quite probable. Why don't we go train now?" He wiped his brow. Ranma could have just packed up just then. After a big fight. But he hadn't, which was what counted.

"Okay." Ranma sighed, turning in the direction of the training grounds. It disturbed him that the old man would manipulate someone without much remorse. There seemed to be a point to it, but he still didn't like it when friends were threatened.

He knew, instinctively, that Seijin was a pretty decent person. There was no question of that. But that didn't allay Ranma's dislike for manipulation. He'd had someone using him for all of his life, telling him what to do and what not to. Turning it over in his mind as they walked quietly to the training ground, he came to the decision that there was nothing to be done about it just then. Seijin seemed to have a valid reason and hadn't wanted to compound problems. That would have happened if Ryoga had stayed. Much like he, himself, had used Cologne and Shampoo for special training. A means to an end, even if everybody didn't understand the entire time. Kami-sama knew that he'd had plenty of misunderstandings come his way.

Once they reached their destination, Seijin asked, "When you were fighting Ryoga, why did you hold back so much? I saw that you could have overpowered him fairly quickly several times."

Ranma simply looked at Eisei-sensei.

Receiving no reply, the old man continued. "I'm sure you have your reasons for it, but I'd like to know what they were. You appear to be as strong, if not stronger than Ryoga, even if he does have a higher pain threshold. Your speed outmatches him by far. So, again, I ask, why did you hold back?"

Ranma shuffled his feet before replying. "It goes something like this. Ryoga has a problem with me being able to beat him. At least, he did at one time. I think of him as a friend and don't want to lose that. If I beat him as fast as I actually could, I'd lose that, I think. He'd probably feel that I'd been playing around with him from the start.

"Just after Akane and I almost got married, we had a fight. I made it so that we fought for a long time. If I'd have beaten him in a matter of minutes, he'd have thought I'd cheated somehow. After having fought with him so many times, I know every move he has. I have patterns, I know, but not like he does. I can usually change mine up to confuse him enough. He can't. He just likes brute force.

"If he thought that he lost fair and square, there was no reason for him to continue the fight. He wouldn't have any reason to continue the feud we'd been having for some time."

Seijin crossed his arms. "I see. It seems you've put a lot of thought into it."

"Yeah. I had a lot of time to think about how I should fix some of the things that were wrong with my life. Ukyo was easy for some reason. I'd have thought she'd have blown up, but she accepted my breaking off the engagement pretty easily. She was always trying to get Ryoga and Akane together. I'm just glad that she quit pestering me so much. Now that Akane and I have broken up, she still has the hope, but I quashed that just this mornin'.

"As for Shampoo, that's a different story. You saw everything there. She was the one who usually did the stuff, with the old ghoul supplying her, rather than interfering directly. Don't know what happened lately, but I wasn't too surprised."

Eisei-sensei shuffled out to the middle of the training ground, saying, "Why don't we just spar? Push ourselves to the limit and then try to take another step. We haven't done that for a while." With past developments, he wanted a better analysis of Ranma's abilities. He seemed to be a better tactician after a closer examination. With his own experience, he would probably be able to beat Ranma senseless…after a long, drawn-out fight. But only from having a great deal more experience than Ranma had, he knew.

Ranma looked at Eisei-sensei thoughtfully. "Why not?" Cracking his knuckles, he squared off.

After arriving back in Nerima, Genma and Ukyo went their separate ways. She hadn't wanted to have him accompany her, but they had been going the same way. Ukyo went to her empty restaurant in order to rest up after the long trip while Genma went home to be confronted by his wife.

When he finally entered the house, he was met by Nodoka, who gave him an icy stare.

In her hands was a shinai. She couldn't have the katana, since that was now with Ranma. But she could still do some serious damage to him.

Her eyes called to him for an explanation.

Crouch of the Wounded Tiger came to mind quickly. He dropped to his knees in supplication, saying, "I ended up having to save Ranma." Looking up, he saw that her demeanor had changed somewhat. Seeing him looking at her, she whipped back to her previous glaring and indicated for him to go on with a twitch of her shinai. "Cologne showed up and thought to use me to lure Ranma out. Instead of going along with her plans like she wanted, we ended up fighting both her and Shampoo."

"We? You and Ranma both fought off those two on your own?" She knew that Ranma was good, but didn't think that they could have taken both Shampoo and Cologne in a fair fight.

"Well, we did have some help. Ukyo, Mousse, and Ryoga showed up. As well as an old man that's boarding Ranma." He rubbed his stomach appreciating the meal that he'd had there. It grumbled, reminding him that it hadn't been fed since then, either.

"Why didn't you let anybody know where you were going?" It was bad manners, as far as she was concerned. Having him gone for ten years and then disappearing once again didn't please her in the least.

"I really didn't have much of a choice at the time. I did, however, get the katana so that Ranma could practice with it. I also delivered the challenge to him concerning Kuno, if that helps." He looked up at her hopefully.

It looked like she'd bought into it. However, she wasn't done yet. "Tell me what happened to Ranma while you were there." She wouldn't let out the gruesome details concerning Akane just yet, since she wanted to know if there was a connection.

Genma thought to back to what had happened. As far as he could tell, anyway. "While we were fighting, Cologne got Ranma with something that sent him into a coma. But he bounced right back out of that."

She beamed at that. Of course he would bounce back from something like that. He was her son, after all. A man amongst men. "Was that yesterday morning, by any chance?" Her eagerness to know the answer betrayed her.

Suspicion slowly formed. "Why, yes."

"No particular reason, really. I just had a feeling that it may have been that. A mother's intuition, if you will." She didn't want to give him all of the facts yet. Soun would in time, she knew. Garbled, of course, but he would get them eventually. "Why don't we go in to eat? I should have something made in a short while."

He followed her to the dining room to await his meal, his stomach asking if his throat had been cut the entire time he waited for the food to arrive.

The piercing scream woke up the household. Two bodies scrambled from their beds to rush out of their rooms and down the hall.

Reaching the room that the scream had been emitted from, they flung it open to see Ranma in the throes of a nightmare. Seijin and Toshi stepped in to see that his covers had been thrown off of him as he thrashed. Sweat glistened in the moonlight as it ran in rivulets down his body.

As soon as the lights were flipped on, Ranma bolted out of sleep. From the sitting position he found himself in, he looked about, his senses open fully. Desperately, he searched for signs of Akane. Finding none, he searched for potential enemies next.

All he found were two concerned friends waiting for him to realize that they were such. When Ranma had his bearings, Seijin let go of Toshi. He hadn't wanted her to enter a potentially dangerous situation. If Ranma had misconstrued her presence, she wouldn't have had a chance in the world. She seemed to understand as soon as she'd seen Ranma's battle aura flare up as he searched about himself.

"Are you okay now," she asked.

Ranma looked up at her, blinking owlishly. He nodded slowly. "It was so real. It seemed like we were there again." He shivered. Not from the temperature, but from the memory of his nightmare.

Stepping forward, Seijin asked, "What was the dream about?"

Ranma looked reluctant to talk about it. He shifted about uncomfortably.

Toshi took the initiative. "It's okay, Ranma. Everybody has bad dreams every once in a while." He smiled at her thankfully, but still wouldn't say anything. Sighing, she said, "Look, you've got to face your problems sometime. And dreams of any sort are the ones that make us do so."

Seijin patted her shoulder, nodding to Ranma. "I agree. Why don't we go downstairs for some tea and talk about it. Sendatsu sent you to me just for this sort of thing, too, I believe."

It looked to Ranma like they would leave him alone that night. And there was nowhere for him to run except out into the woods. He'd have to get the window opened for that first. Giving it some more thought, he decided that it would probably be a good idea. He'd unloaded on Ukyo enough times. It would only be a change of ears that heard him out.

"Sure."

Toshi went downstairs to make tea while Ranma got dressed. She wasn't too thrilled about being wakened in the middle of the night. But, after seeing Ranma attacked before, she felt that there were more issues involved. She was curious as to what made the martial artist tick. His arrogance annoyed her, but he used it to hide his frailties. It hadn't been obvious at first. But, after being around him for a time, she had been able to see through the wall he'd put up around himself.

As the water was heating, she heard the other two walking down the stairs.

They sat down in the tea room and made themselves comfortable. "Do you always have such vivid nightmares," Seijin asked.

"Sometimes. I guess it happens after something big happens. For a few weeks after I feel into the spring, I had nightmares about being stuck in girl form. Among other things, anyway. There're others that seemed too real. I haven't had this one for a while now."

Toshi entered with the tea, just in time to hear the beginning of Ranma's tale.

"It's about Mount Phoenix and a guy named Saffron…"

The night continued with his story to fill it.

The morning after his arrival back in Nerima found Genma at the Tendo dojo. Entering the compound, he was met by Kasumi's warm greeting. It didn't take him long to find Soun.

His friend was sitting on the veranda overlooking the koi pond. In his hands was the morning newspaper.

"Wonderful morning, Saotome-kun," he said without looking up.

Sitting down beside Soun, Genma replied with, "Yes, it is, Tendo-kun. And a most interesting few days it has been, too."

"And how has Ranma been lately," Soun asked.

Genma raised an eyebrow at the question. There was no way Soun should have know that he'd just seen Ranma recently. "He's doing fine, the last time I saw him. He's healthy and impertinent as ever. How did you happen to know that I've seem him?"

"Just a lucky guess."

"Ah." Genma looked sidelong at Soun, searching for any clues. None were revealed. "Have you thought of anything that'll help join the two schools yet?"

Putting the paper down, Soun looked at Genma. "Not me, no. However, you wife assures me that things are in the works."

That set Genma back. *Why hasn't she told me about this?* "So…did she give you any details for what she's planning?"

"None."

"It could be that she's putting us off, you know. Every time we start to think of a way to get them back together, she finds something to stop us."

"How true…how true." She'd managed to do it several times a week. If Soun didn't know any better, he would have suspected Kasumi of having done the same sort of thing. But Kasumi was too sweet to be doing something like that.

"What to do…" Genma grumped.

It was a recurring dilemma. Ever since that fateful night, they'd had no chance in getting the two together for any reason. No plans worked in their favor, or even had a chance to see the light of day. Then again, most didn't get past the sake bottle.

They turned from their idle contemplation's to more constructive efforts. A stimulating game of shogi. The cheating ensued shortly after they started.

Genma was getting desperate at one point and cried out, "Look! A short, bald martial artist that plans to mooch off of you."

To say that Soun wasn't happy about something of that magnitude was an understatement. Until recently, he'd had three moochers and three unwed daughters. Now he had only one moocher, even though Genma had moved in with his wife, and still three unwed daughters. Looking about, he caught upon a sight that caused his heart to fall down to the level of his feet.

Genma took his opportunity to cheat.

"It's…ah…good to see you, Master," Soun said.

Looking up from the board, Genma saw that Soun hadn't returned his attention back to the game in progress. That wasn't right. He had only been joking. Following Soun's stare, his own heart followed Soun's example.

"M-master!" The cowards prostrated themselves before Happosai.

The gnome twirled his pipe and sniffed at his students disdainfully. "I've been gone for a few months and you boys have let this place go to hell. Where are all the pretty girls," he demanded.

Unfortunately for Happosai, Ranma didn't live there anymore. He didn't know that yet. Also, Akane had gone out for her morning run, as well as her balancing training. That only left Nabiki and Kasumi. Though Nabiki was well-endowed, one wasn't enough. And Kasumi, for some reason that none other than Happosai, if even that, wasn't an option.

They blubbered at him, trying to appease the old man, but nothing coherent came out.

"It looks like I need to take you two on a training trip again, it seems." The pronouncement had its appeal. He used it now only to shut them up. It was quite effective. In all actuality, he didn't want to go anywhere at the moment. He had just gotten back and was in the mood to relax before going on another jaunt.

Kasumi walked in just in time to head off some embarrassing questions. "Oh, Grandfather Happosai. It's so nice to have you back. Where have you been all this time?"

The two men prostrating themselves nodded at the question. They, too, were curious as to the wanderings of the lecher.

Happosai decided to humor Kasumi. Nobody, even him, could seem to deny her what she wanted, no matter how small. "Well, first, I went down to Australia. After growing tired of their accents, I decided that it would be better in the Bahamas. Only a side trip to the Bermuda triangle caused a little mishap for the rest of the time. Oh, the poor silky darlings that missed my loving ministrations during that time. I had to settle for what I had stored away with me for the entire time," he lamented.

Kasumi nodded her understanding, even if she didn't understand. "Would you like something to eat? You missed breakfast, but I can get you whatever you'd like."

"Oh, don't bother, dearie. The boys and I were about to go do some training anyways. Do be kind enough to have something ready for me when we get back, if you would. I'm sure to be exhausted after showing them the error of their ways. Slacking like they have while I'm gone." He gave the two in question a look of being put upon. They cringed.

"Okay."

When Kasumi left, Happosai turned his full attention back to Genma and Soun. "Now, where's my Ranma-chan?"

Soun burst into tears, blubbering unintelligibly about the absence of Ranma. Genma tried hiding behind Soun, but proved to be too large.

Seeing that Soun would be no help to him, Happosai turned to Genma for answers. "Genma, my boy, where is that luscious child of yours?" He drooled in anticipation of grasping Ranma's curvaceous form. The boy was a great student in the Art, but also a source of satisfaction with his female body for the old master.

Somehow, Genma found a glass of water to change into a panda with. It didn't work, as Happosai wouldn't be put off with Genma's antics. Sighing, for he was once again in human form, Genma found himself saying, "He's on a training trip."

"And he couldn't wait for this poor old man to go with him? You boys are failures. You should have kept him here until I arrived," he ranted.

Soun's wails gained an octave.

"Where is he now?"

Genma tried to look like he didn't know, but failed miserably. He found himself in a crumpled heap for his stunt. It hadn't been wise to try and hide what he knew, he reflected. "He's staying with a man called Seijin."

Happosai stopped, thinking of where he'd heard the name before. It finally came to him. And he didn't like the implications that it led to. There was only one thing to do. "We have to go save him," he said finally.

Kasumi was passing when she heard the pronouncement. "Is somebody in trouble?" she asked.

"We're off to save Ranma-chan. It looks like we'll have to put off that wonderful meal until later, Kasumi-chan." He leapt to the wall surrounding the dojo, waiting expectantly for his delinquent students to follow.

Soun heard Genma muttering to himself to the effect of Nodoka forgiving him for his disappearance. He wasn't too sure, since he was wailing about how his daughters needed him there to take care of them.

As they headed out of Nerima, Happosai went around gathering up women's underwear. The resulting chaos that ensued resulted in a dust cloud that followed them all the way to the edge of Tokyo before they escaped it fully. Soun and Genma, however, didn't escape without a few bruises to remind them of it.

Ranma's mind was frazzled. He sat back, staring at the board. Examining the placement of the chess pieces, he tried to decipher where he'd started to lose. It wasn't the first, since they'd played two games before, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. "I can't find it," he finally said, exasperated.

Seijin leaned forward from his reposed position. Adjusting pieces, he showed Ranma the exact moment where his downward trend had started. "This is where you used the queen's bishop to take my knight," he explained. "You could have made about two other moves to avoid having lost as soon. You see," he moved the same bishop to a placement where no piece was taken, "not everything means taking it if you're able to or not at the time."

Ranma looked at where the bishop sat and sighed. Though he didn't fully understand at the moment, he absorbed the instructions. There was a contradiction, however, and he made a comment on it. "But, last time, you said to take the piece that threatened my king. Now you're saying I need to hold back."

"That's because my rook was about to threaten you king. If you'd have left it unchecked, I would have won. Had you taken the rook with any of the moves available to you, the sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain, as it was in this last game. You need to weight the consequences both in the present and in the future. There's a time and place for everything." Ranma gave him an exasperated look, mingled with no little amount of confusion. Seijin relented. "Chess was developed to help strategists with only one thing. Strategy. Using the knowledge they had of units, they developed a 'game' that would be used to help them anticipate their opponents. Moving the pieces, in their mind, ahead, they would look for potential weakness and try to exploit them. But they didn't learn it all in three games, though."

A glimmer of understanding shone in Ranma's eyes, but he cast about again in confusion shortly after. "What if someone doesn't have any weaknesses?"

Seijin sensed the underlying question. "Everybody has weaknesses, even me. Though some aren't as readily apparent as others, everybody does have a weakness of one sort or another. Even you. I think that yours stems from you being half girl."

Ranma's face flushed. "I'm a guy, dammit," he said. As soon as he uttered the words, he recognized what Seijin was getting at.

"Do you see what I'm getting at? Your refusal to accept being a girl half of the time opens you up to certain attacks."

Ranma reigned his emotions in. Eisei-sensei was right. How he loathed changing genders had caused him to lose his temper at crucial moments before.

Noting that Ranma was seeing reason, Seijin continued. "You need to accept the fact that you change. I believe that, even without Sendatsu's interference, you would have fallen into the same spring. Nothing is ever random. Your falling in means something. For you to fall into a spring that contains an opposite of you is a good example of the continuos struggle for balance."

"But I was born a guy and raised to be a man. Changing into a girl just doesn't fit into the picture," Ranma retorted, sighing heavily.

Seijin gave Ranma level look. "I'm not saying that you're going to, or need to, start chasing after boys, if that's what you're thinking. Spiritually and mentally, you're a man, so there's no chance of you switching mindset because of a simple change of body. It's just that every time that I confront you with the subject, you become defensive. When we work out with you in your girl form, you forget about what gender you are and fight. It's not what's on the outside that matters, but what's on the inside. The body has female reactions, which may confuse you, but you need to learn what they mean sometime and accept them as part of your life. Only in that way can you make your weakness a strength."

"I never asked for, or wanted, all of it," Ranma whined. "Almost every problem I have now stems from the curse in one way or another. For instance…I knocked Ryoga into one of the springs. I wouldn't have, if I hadn't been chasing Oyaji. And that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been cursed. Then there's the fact that I had to hide from my mother because Oyaji and I would have to commit seppuku."

Seijin held up a hand to interrupt. "Do you believe your mother could have killed her only son just because of some obscure magic that changed your physical appearance?"

"Well…" Ranma hedged. "I only knew about her from Oyaji. We left home when I was six, so I didn't remember her. And, even now, she still reminds me about being manly. It's always one thing or another with her that makes her tell me whether this or that is manly."

Chuckling lightly, Seijin said, "I don't believe, for a minute, that she'd have had you commit seppuku. You've got too many 'manly' qualities that disqualify you from anybody thinking otherwise. More so than most men I've met. Hmm…Brash, uncouth, insensitive, egotistical…Need I go on?"

Scowling, "Nah. I think you've said enough."

"I'm glad you concede. Do you understand, though that there may be a reason for you changing as you do? It helps, as I believe, with the drawing of ki from the earth. That's a bonus for you, since many wouldn't expect as much power to come from you in that form. There's also the fact that you're more agile. Maybe not as strong as your male form, but you can still do some serious damage."

Ranma flexed his pectoral muscles as he thought about it. "I have been learning since I could practically stand…."

"Give it some thought, would you? You'll end up finding the diamond within the coal one of these days." Seijin stood, heading out to his garden.

Ranma sat there for a while, contemplating the conversation they'd had. Many points had been made that struck deeply.

Akane slowed as she neared the dojo. Upon entering, she called out with her usual greeting. Kasumi's immediate response was heard.

Having heard that Genma was back in Nerima, she walked into the tea room expecting to find him there. Instead, she found it empty of its usual occupants. The board looked slightly askew. Curious, Akane went into the kitchen to find Kasumi and get some answers. "Oneechan, where's Daddy and Uncle Saotome?"

Kasumi turned around, wringing her hands. The unfortunate towel she was holding screamed silently in agony. "Grandfather Happosai came back and then they left immediately. I think they went after poor Ranma-kun."

Akane gasped. "Do you think he's going to be all right?"

"Grandfather Happosai looked a little agitated," Kasumi said with a shrug. "I think Uncle Saotome said something about where he was, so he thought about going to 'save him'."

"Do you think that there's anything we can do," Akane asked, hoping that there was.

"I don't think so. Only Uncle Saotome knew where he is, I think. We just have to wait and see what comes of this."

Akane nodded her understanding. There was no help for it. Genma was gone, as well as her father, leaving her with nobody to train with. And just when she'd been expecting to learn something good. Sighing discontentedly, she went to the dojo to work on her kata.

Ranma faced off against Toshi. Bowing to each other, they circled each other warily. It was Toshi that sent the first attack.

They traded blows until, unfortunately, Ranma tripped over his own two feet. Picking himself up and blushing furiously, he got back into a ready position.

Toshi reeled in her jaw before continuing.

A few minutes later, Ranma tripped again. This time, he received a blow to the shoulder from Toshi.

"Che! What's goin' on? I haven't tripped like this in ages," Ranma ranted.

"Everybody has their day."

"It's not that. Something weird's happening. And I'm gonna find out. Let's spar a little more, okay?"

A few minutes passed before anything happened. Instead of tripping, Ranma had a sudden cramp in one of his calves. Hopping about, he tried stretching the muscles to alleviate the sharp pain. "This sucks!"

Then it came to her. Remembering the conversation when Ranma had been unconscious, she said, "It's probably because your body's growing again."

"What do you mean," Ranma asked, stopping his mad hopping.

"Well, they were talking about you having suppressed your…ano…male hormones, so you had stopped growing. Maybe you're starting to grow again and are feeling it?" It sounded like a reasonable solution.

Ranma vaguely remembered having done something about that problem at one time. Having Cologne around, who knew pressure points, probably would have accounted for her recognizing his condition after inspecting him closely. "Hmmm…Maybe. Well, let's spar some. You wanted a workout this mornin'."

Toshi nodded, attacking immediately.

Again, Ranma tripped, with a combination of cramps in each leg. Falling forward, he grabbed the nearest object available.

Unfortunately, it was Toshi. Ranma's weight pulled down on her. She tried to stay up, only to be hindered by the spasmodic jerking of Ranma's legs, which pulled them off balance. They stumbled drunkenly for a moment before finally toppling over. Desperately, to avoid any injury to Toshi, Ranma twisted about so he would land on his back.

They lay there, panting heavily from the exertion. Then things started becoming obvious to Ranma. Especially the position he was in.

A pretty girl with her breasts mashed into his chest. Her body seemed to be melded to his. And one of her legs was….He felt a stirring.

"Gaaaaaaah!" Ranma leapt up, dropping Toshi onto the ground unceremoniously. He faced away from her, trying to regain control of his rampaging hormones.

Toshi looked up at him indignantly. "What's your problem?"

Ranma dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. Unintelligible babble came from him as he tried to name off things that would distract his mind. He wasn't very successful.

Getting up, Toshi started walking to where Ranma had jumped to. It was quite a distance. Halfway there, she finally realized what the problem may have been. Blushing furiously, she stopped and started backing up slowly. "Ano…Ranma, does it have something to do with what they did?"

Ranma looked back, nodding furiously. "I hit those pressure points for a reason. I was always getting glomped by Shampoo. And, if she wasn't an Amazon, I'd say she would have been a model."

"And now everything's hitting you at once, isn't it," she asked. Ranma nodded again. "Why don't you go take a cold shower? Maybe that'll help?"

"I can't," Ranma wailed. "I turn into a girl, remember? I don't want to experience that. It just ain't natural."

Toshi thought about it for a moment. After picturing what his problem would be, she started giggling, which quickly turned into gales of laughter.

"It's not funny. Why don't you try…Wait, you're a girl already. But you don't have ten times the drive that I have now. I was never this bad before." Getting up, he started walking stiffly to the house. "I think we're done sparring for a while."

Toshi followed, still laughing uncontrollably.

Happosai and his reluctant students hid in the brush overlooking the house. It was dark out, since they'd ended up taking a few detours. Mainly for sake and panties. Soun and Genma cowered, more than hid, in the brush behind the shrunken martial arts master.

Puffing on his pipe, Happosai thought of ways to enter without being noticed. After considering multiple solutions, he finally found one that would help with the dilemma. Seemingly out of nowhere, he pulled out a flying squirrel costume. It'd helped him get places that were nigh inaccessible in the past. The quietest feet were those that walked on air. In a flash, he was dressed. "Now, you boys stay here until I call for you."

Both men nodded their understanding. When Happosai leapt away, Soun turned to Genma. "What are going to do, Saotome-kun. You're sure this is the place poor Ranma-kun is?"

Genma grunted an affirmative. "I was here yesterday. I ended up staying the night with Ukyo and Ryoga. I know Ranma is in there for sure."

Soun wailed for Ranma's well-being. "The master is very put out about him studying under this Eisei Seijin. What do you think he will do to the both of them?"

Genma turned to Soun, giving him a level look. "I'd be more worried that Ranma will do to the Master." Soun gasped in disbelief. "He's improved quite a bit since he's been here. He was fighting Cologne to a standstill once he got his bearings."

Soun wailed anew, though for Happosai. After some thought, however, he stopped. Looking over at Genma, he said, "Do you think we'll be free of the master if Ranma fights him?"

Thinking about what Soun was speculating, Genma perked up. "It's possible."

The duo could then be seen dancing about silently in joy, hoping for the best. They waved victory fans with Ranma's name on them. Pulling out the sake they'd stashed away, they began partying.

Meanwhile, Happosai had been floating along silently. Out of nowhere, a blur shot up and latched onto him. They tumbled to the ground, out of control.

Managing to twist out of the iron-like grip, Happosai pushed away from his assailant. They landed several meters apart.

The moonlight illuminated both figures, allowing them to make out each other. Happosai saw across from him a withered old man twice his height. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was. He lamented the fact, briefly, that his opponent had a full head of hair. But he discarded it quickly. Bare skin against a woman's bosom was better than having hair in the way.

Seijin spoke first. "And why, might I ask, are you trying to burglarize my home?"

Knowing that the sad puppy look wouldn't work, Happosai opted for the direct approach. He had a bone to gnaw on and a bluff up his sleeve. "I came to rescue my best student. You've taken him and are corrupting all of my teachings. Now, hand him over and nobody gets hurt."

Seijin eyed the diminutive martial artist in front of him who was making demands of him. "You must be Happosai that Ranma's been talking about." He received a nod in response. "What makes you think that Ranma is your student?"

"He's a student of the school I founded many years ago. That makes me his master." Simple logic.

"I'd harbor a guess that Ranma prefers to pick and choose his own masters. In fact, I don't think Ranma really thinks of me as a master, rather than a friend who is giving him more in the way of training. Ranma can't be tamed. I know that and won't even try."

That caused Happosai to pause for a moment to think. Ranma had never bowed to anyone, even him. But Seijin was well-known throughout the world of sages. His fame stemmed from previous, and foolhardy in his own opinion, crusades that Happosai had no wish to have Ranma involved in. Panty raids were more profitable. "That may be so, but I don't think that he needs any of your influences."

"And yours is any good," Seijin rejoined tartly.

Smiling disarmingly, "An old man needs some sort of distractions during his life, ne?"

"I don't think that what you consider distractions as proper behavior for a martial artist. I've heard a little of you besides what Ranma's told me. And I don't find it too endearing. You use the Art for self-gratification. It was meant for selfless service to the people. You've warped it beyond belief."

Happosai's eyes narrowed at the stinging comment. "What is life, but to be enjoyed? The Art only helps with accessing the pleasure. Besides, it'd be harder to save the silky darlings without it."

"I suggest you remove yourself from the premises. Ranma will be returning to Tokyo shortly. I think you can wait until then to talk with him. He's in no danger while he's here. That leaves you no other excuses to disturb any of us." He changed his body posture, making himself more threatening.

Observing his opponent closely, Happosai came to the decision that some battles were left for other days. Nodding his acquiescence, he turned to leave.

"And wearing that ridiculous costume isn't very becoming for one of your age, either. Leaving the dressing up to the children, would you?"

Stiffly, Happosai leapt away from his verbal assailant. He would find a way to get back at Seijin. One day, he knew. Even if he had to deal with Ranma in order to do it.

When Happosai returned without Ranma and not having been severely beaten, both of his students stopped dead in their tracks. They read the mood Happosai was in and knew that they'd receive punishment for whatever had happened before. Soun wept and Genma sighed wearily as they followed after the old martial artist.

Seijin entered the house after ensuring that his erstwhile burglar had departed. Ranma was practicing his mental exercises at the shogi board.

After watching for a few minutes, Seijin spoke up. "What do you know of the founder of your school, Happosai?"

Looking up from what he was doing, Ranma squinted in thought. "Well, he's a perverted old lech. He's pretty good at martial arts, though. Cologne outclasses the old freak. Him and Cologne go at it quite a bit, since they've known each other since they were young. And that's quite a while."

"How would you assess his abilities compared to yours?"

Ranma shrugged. "I don't know. I've beaten him before, but they weren't really decisive fights. I mean, I tricked him into giving off an aura of lust when I used the Hiryu Shoten Ha. Now, though…After training with you, I don't know. I'd say it's a toss-up."

"Hmm…Would you consider challenging him for the mastery of the school?"

Instantly, Ranma's curiosity was perked. Leaning forward, he asked, "Why'd ya want me to do that? Is there somethin' goin' on you wanna tell me about?"

Seeing that there was no reason to lie to Ranma, and not wanting to lose any more trust from the young man, he said, "I just had a run-in with him. He said that he wanted to 'rescue' you from my influence. I can understand that he'd be a little miffed about a student with another teacher, but I think it's more your choice in the matter than what he's considering."

Ranma sat back, mulling the request over. His face never betrayed his internal struggle. Thinking what the implications could be, he began pondering what could be done about the situation. But it would be better to ask first. "Do you really think it'd be smart for me to challenge him?" It was a worthy question of the young man. It showed that he was starting to use his head rather than brawn first.

If Ranma were to become the master of the school, that would put a remarkably large amount of responsibility on his shoulders, of course. Not only would he have to uphold and set tradition, but he'd also have to face all challenges to the school and destroy any opposition without any remorse. Since he would have only two families practicing the Art, then it would be subject to a lot of challenges that he'd have to fight personally. At least, until he had a student worthy of the responsibility. But he'd said that there had been a number of challenges he'd defended the school from already.

That also meant that he would have to oversee the promotion of his students. Since both men, the fathers, were considered high-ranking martial artists of the school, then it would be prudent to have them help with it. The only problem was, from what he'd heard, both parents were both cowardly at times and overly zealous about the oddest subjects, as well as drunks. It was a dilemma he didn't want to pursue.

But then, he'd have to beat Happosai for the title first. Considering the knowledge and abilities that the old master had, Ranma would have a hard time. "Have you ever thought to challenge Happosai before this," he asked.

Ranma thought back to when they'd fought before. Shaking his head, he answered, "No. Like I said before, we only fought whenever I made him mad or he messed up my life for one reason or another. Like the moxibustion. I beat him then when I used the Hiryu Shoten Ha against him, even though I had no strength. But, any other time we fight, I get stomped by him."

"And why do you think that is?"

"I've no idea. He usually flips me away with his pipe. I attack…I land on my head. Simple as that."

"Well, I don't think I can help you out right now. But, if you work out a little more, I believe you'd have a good chance."

Ranma beamed. Refraining from his usual inflated comments on his prowess, he just sat where he was quietly.

The phone rang. Toshi answered it before either had the chance to get up. "Moshi moshi…Yes, he's here. Hold on one moment, please." Covering the mouthpiece, she looked over at Seijin and said, "He says his name is Nagasawa-san and he's asking for you."

Seijin jumped up, taking the phone from Toshi. "Yes…Oh, sure. We can be there tomorrow afternoon. There's nothing pressing happening for any of us. There will be three arriving in the afternoon."

Ranma listened intently to the conversation. It didn't take much for him to figure out that it was about his testing. "I guess I should be getting some rest," he said, after Seijin hung up the phone and returned.

"It would be advisable. Tomorrow's an important day for you, which you've been working hard on for the past several weeks. I'm sure you're looking forward to it, ne?"

Ranma grinned. "Yep." His smile lost some of its enthusiasm. "But I'm still having trouble with my proportions lately. Ever since I've started growing again, I haven't been adjusting well. I just hope I don't disappoint him tomorrow."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Go get some rest."

Ranma nodded, getting up and leaving. Seijin sighed, his own fears about Ranma's eminent performance worrying him. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he dragged himself up to his own bed.

Kasumi hummed to herself as she picked up the wash, carrying it outside to the clothes line to be hung up. As she set the basket down, she noticed her youngest sister sitting by the koi pond. It was still early, a time where Akane would be out jogging or in the dojo, rather than staring into the pool of water. Biting her lip, concern ate at her while she looked on.

With a soft sigh, she left the clothes for later. Lowering herself down beside Akane, she smoothed her skirt before speaking.

"Is something the matter, Akane," she asked.

Akane jumped slightly, having been startled out of her reverie. Glancing at Kasumi, she shrugged and continued with her distant stare.

"It can't be that bad," Kasumi nudged. "What is it that's getting you down?"

Without looking at her eldest sister, Akane replied, "That's part of the problem. I really can't tell what's the matter with me. Ever since I was told to figure out why I lose my temper, I come up with a blank."

Kasumi nodded her understanding. It was hardest to figure something out for oneself. Being prodded by another usually helped, however. "I'm pretty sure you don't come up with a complete blank, now do you? If I didn't know any better, you probably know what the problem is already. You just don't want to face it."

Akane looked up, but failed to meet Kasumi's eye. "Yeah. I guess I do." She inhaled deeply, letting out an explosive sigh. "Why is it I've felt one inch tall since Ranma came to Nerima? I mean, he's such a great martial artist. Why wouldn't he treat me as if I am, too?"

Kasumi smiled, liking the fact that Akane was willing to face her problems, rather than denying it and hiding behind different reasons. "It may be because you never seemed to give him much ground when it came to his condition. You hit a sore spot more than once when it came to that. Did you ever think that he might have been just lashing out?"

"Well…no. I guess not. He was always such a jerk, though. If he would have taken me more seriously, we might not have fought about it so much."

"I'm not saying that Ranma didn't push you. What is it you feel when you think of Ranma's abilities?"

"I…Well…" Akane stopped to think more deeply at Kasumi's question. *What do I feel?* Kasumi remained quiet until Akane was ready do answer. Finally, "I guess I feel jealous. I was the best martial artist around until he came out of nowhere. Then all the others started showing up. And they were so much better than me, too."

"You're not all that bad. You focus on strength. Not many people can say they can crush blocks like you do. Are there many girls that can pick up the weight that you can?"

"No. I guess not."

"Akane-chan, you need to believe in your own abilities before anybody else will believe in them. How do you think Ranma made it as far as he has? There are times he's almost lost, but he's focused on the fact that he's one of the best martial artists of his generation. You would be too, if you'd just stop comparing yourself to everybody else. Focus on what Daddy taught you. And, if Uncle Saotome ever gets back, learn what you can from him."

"You're right, as usual. It just made me mad that when Ranma came, everybody thought I'd fade into the shadows while he took over the dojo. Now that he's not around…Well, I guess it'll be me." She let out a sad chuckle. "And most of the blame's mine. If I hadn't kicked Ranma out, we'd still be engaged."

She was about to say more, but Kasumi interrupted her, saying, "And probably still fighting as usual. I think it did the two of you some good to be apart for a while." Forging on, she asked, "If you had the chance, would you be willing to start it up again?"

Akane let out a short laugh. "Like he'd want to be with me after what I did to him. He said he forgave me, but I don't know…If I had another chance with him, maybe I'd take it. But, after what's happened between the two of us, maybe it's best that we're not engaged anymore."

Kasumi shook her head sadly. "I'm sure you'd be surprised." Seeing that the conversation was turning to a depressing note, she tried heading it off. "Would you help me hang up the clothes?"

Akane looked over to where the basket was lying near the clothesline. "Sure." The two got up, letting the previous conversation die as they went about the household chores. Soon, Akane was humming along with Kasumi as they worked.

Soun and Genma collapsed just inside the entrance to the house, exhausted. Happosai, on the other hand, hopped inside looking for something to eat. Clutching his bag of undergarments to himself tightly, he entered the kitchen to find it empty. He did, however, find himself some food lying on the counter, waiting for Kasumi to take out to the table for lunch.

It didn't take him long to finish off what was laid out, considering it was prepared for only Soun's daughters.

Kasumi came in, having heard the commotion while sweeping the veranda. Seeing the spectacle before her, she could only blink before she collected herself. Sternly, by only Kasumi's standards, she said, "Grandfather Happosai, you just ate our lunch. If you wanted something, why couldn't you have asked?"

Happosai felt his heart pierced. Sweet, gentle Kasumi sounded miffed at him. And, one of the things he most desperately avoided was getting onto Kasumi's bad side. With watery puppy-eyes, he wailed, "I was hungry, Kasumi-chan. I didn't know it was yours."

Without relenting, she continued. "Now I have to hurry and make something for everybody else. Now that you're back, why don't you go put your things away and wait for dinner? I'll let you know when it's ready."

Feeling the tongue-lashing tenfold, considering who it was from, Happosai hung his head and went to his room, dragging his silken bundle behind him.

Soun and Genma, having heard the admonishment, looked at each other with slack jaws before finding a more comfortable place and promptly passed out from exhaustion. Their snores resounded throughout the house.

Kasumi then went about cooking some lunch again, taking into consideration the two men that were passed out in the tea room and the one that she'd sent to his room.

Ranma paced along the isle while the train sped across the tracks. It was about the fourth train he'd worn out with his pacing since the trip had started. His nerves were stretched to their limits, and there was no way for himself to calm down. He'd tried many times. Stopping for a moment, he looked out the window between Toshi and Seijin. For the umpteenth time, he let out an explosive sigh and began his steady tread once again. The anticipation was just too great.

"You're going to be worn out by the time you get there, Ranma," Toshi admonished."

Ranma threw a sharp glance at her, giving a light grunt. As soon as he reached his seat, he threw himself into it, causing Seijin to bounce in his own, which was next to Ranma.

"Have a care, Ranma-kun. We'll be there shortly. You've practiced enough so that it'll be second nature for you. There'll be no problems, as far as I can see." As he spoke, they felt the train decelerating. "See?"

Ranma looked over at him, replying, "I'm not nervous about that. I'm just edgy. I don't like waiting. I've been practicing for a couple of months now, so I'm ready to take his test. That's all."

By the time the train came to a complete stop, Ranma's fidgeting had risen to a new high. As soon as the doors were opened, he was outside, looking for the people who'd come to pick them up. It didn't tame him long to find them, considering the fact that he jumped to the rafters and looked down into the growing crowd.

Hopping back down, he gathered his companions up and drug them to the two men waiting for them. "We're ready when you are," Ranma said as soon as they recognized him.

The largest one, Kato, looked down at Ranma. His earlier defeat hadn't settled well with him. And now he had to escort the same youth to perform something that even he wasn't ready for, much less a fraction of the martial artists in the world. "The van's this way. Come on." He cast a lingering glance on Ranma's companions but deigned not to comment.

They followed him out of the train station to the dojo's only mode of transportation. It was an old van, able to seat eight. It was plenty of room for Ranma to stretch out and attempt to relax in the back seat. Seijin and Toshi made light talk about the scenery as they rode along.

For Ranma, the ride took forever. But, in actuality, it took only three quarters of an hour. When they entered the compound, the place was a flurry of activity. People ran to and from the dojo carrying celebration buntings.

Their escorts took them to the house where they were greeted by what seemed to be a welcoming committee. As soon as their duty had been finished, Kato and his fellow took their leave and headed out to help with the final preparations throughout the dojo.

"Welcome and well met," Nagasawa greeted. "I trust that the traveling wasn't all that difficult, ne?" He smiled, seeing that Ranma was indeed frazzled.

"It wasn't so bad," Seijin said, casting a glance over at Ranma. "In fact, it's rather nice getting out every once in a while. I've been cooped up at my place for a while now. I haven't been on a mission for quite some time. And this is a good enough reason to go out and about."

They were led inside to the tea room. Inside, already, were five elderly men who were talking amongst themselves. They glanced at the group entering and then turned back to their conversation. Ranma and company seated themselves, a couple of young women serving them while they waited for the afternoon's trial.

Nagasawa pointed out the gentlemen seated not so far away and introduced each of them in turn, each waving to the other guests. "Tanaka, Soto, Fujiwara, Yamaguchi, and Nishimura. They're here to observe the testing and help give judgment. Their specialties are Jujitsu, Aikido, and Kempo. It's not often that any of us get together like this."

Seijin leaned over to Ranma, saying, "I'm a grand master in each of those schools. Don't worry, they're not here to fail you just for your youth, just to observe. Nagasawa has the final say, since he made the decision to test you. I'm sure you'll make it, my boy."

Ranma looked down at Seijin with an unreadable look. Turning back to his tea, he let the time pass and the conversations go on about himself as he meditated.

After a time, he was addressed by a young man of the lowest rank in the dojo. "Ranma-san, would you please follow me."

Rousing himself, Ranma stood and followed the young man, more a boy, who seemed only four years younger.

"Please enter and dress in the uniform laid out for you. I will escort you to the dojo when you're ready."

Ranma nodded to the younger man and entered, doing as he'd been instructed. They were on their way in short order.

As soon as they exited the building, a column closed around the martial artist. They were the top four students of the dojo, led by the white belt youth. With a measured tread, they marched to the dojo.

Ranged on either side were the students in formation. A small platform held the men that Ranma had met earlier in the tea room. They sat on cushions, whereas Nagasawa sat on a chair with Kato standing behind and left of him. Once the procession made it to the center of the dojo, they stopped and dispersed from around Ranma.

Bowing low, Ranma waited for Nagasawa to rise and bow with an authoritative decorum.

Nagasawa raised a flag. As soon as he dropped it, Ranma began his Forms.

Ranma entered into his own world.

He danced to his own music. That of his beating heart. It was what he measured his movements by. Its pace never varied as he moved from one position to another.

Everything about his movements were fluid. The students who'd been practicing for some time were slack-jawed. The only expressionless ones were the Grand Masters, Seijin, and Toshi. Toshi didn't react like the students only because she'd seen him perform so on a daily basis.

Ranma felt a twinge in his thigh. Concerned that he might have a mishap, he monitored his body movements even more so, focusing even more.

A half hour passed as he performed for the assembly before tragedy struck.

The cramp came without warning. Only Ranma's quick reflexes were what saved him from making too much a fool of himself. Regaining his equilibrium, he stood up straight, facing the Grand Masters. Bowing low, he began again.

Kato's nostrils flared. Seeing Ranma fall in the middle of the test made his heart soar. It seemed that the younger man would be laughed out of the dojo for his presumptuousness. To his chagrin, the men didn't blink an eye at the incident. He gaped when Ranma continued.

After Ranma regained his center, he started the Forms again where he had left off. It took effort to keep his face expressionless. He wanted to scowl, snarl, or both, at the mishap. There was nothing to do about it but continue, hoping for the best.

Nagasawa was glad to see that Ranma was able to continue after the embarrassing display. It showed that Ranma had enough willpower not to run out of the dojo like he'd seen some students do just over a belt. To do so on such a test as was being performed would have driven most away, he knew.

At one interval, Ranma was engaged by the four students that had escorted him. They had been schooled in what they were to do when the time came. Moving in and out between each other, they threw punches and kicks at Ranma, which were blocked expertly.

The imaginary battle raged on silently, the scuffle of feet and rustle of their gi the only sound.

Ranma relaxed even more when he noticed that the students he was mock fighting with were more nervous of fouling up than he was. They were wild-eyed, almost making him smile.

Sweat poured off of everybody in the center of the dojo as they exerted themselves.

The students finally disengaged themselves. It was now the last leg for Ranma.

Cocksure of himself, Ranma picked up the pace. There had been only one problem, which been overcome. Nothing untoward had happened since. Glad of this, he brought the speed up to a near blur.

Sweat began pouring off of him as he moved, coating the floor underneath him. There began to be a faint sheen of the carefully waxed floor from the moisture.

Suddenly, he stopped. Facing the Grand Masters, he looked Nagasawa in the eye and calmed himself to the soul.

Ice formed on the floor as the temperature dropped around him. The Soul of Ice he pulled forth froze the perspiration that he'd flung about him. The students that had battled with him shivered because of the sudden change. Their sweat threatened to freeze on their bodies, making their teeth chatter audibly.

Kato watched in wonderment, not having ever seen such a thing before.

Nagasawa smiled at the display, though it wasn't part of the test. Such control of one's ki energy was a mark of a master. Standing, he bowed to Ranma, followed closely by the other masters. He turned to Kato, indicating that he was ready to present Ranma with his gift. Taking the dogi of a Grand Master, he stepped forward to Ranma.

Ranma bowed as he accepted the jet black dogi. The silk caressed his callused hands. His heart roared in his ears.

At an unspoken signal, the students began beating on the floor with their fists. It was a cheer to the young man who'd just become a Grand Master.

Kasumi served her father his tea. Stepping back, she said, "Father, are you forgetting that we are leaving for the beach in a few hours?

Soun looked away form the shogi board and up at his daughter. "Ah, so I did," he exclaimed. "We did forget about that, didn't we, Saotome-kun?"

Genma shook his head. "I didn't forget because I'm not going. Nodoka had some projects for me to do. And I'm not willing to cross her."

Soun became teary-eyed. "Oh, no. What are we to do? We'll miss the train."

Kasumi smiled sweetly. "No, I don't think so, father. Everything is packed and ready to go now. We only need to get to the hotel on time. You even have time to soak in the furo for a little while before we go."

Relieved, Soun let out a heavy sigh. "Please, Kasumi, don't do that to your poor father. We already paid for five days for the place we'll be staying at. I don't have enough of an income just to let it go to waste. You almost gave your father a heart attack thinking that I'd done just that."

"I'm sorry, father," Kasumi apologized. "Your bath is ready now. By the time you're done, Tofu-sensei should be here to pick us up. He's kind enough to drive us all the way there. Isn't that so sweet?" She smiled brightly.

Genma nudged Soun, pointing at Kasumi, indicating the faraway look that she had. Soun smiled and nodded to his friend. "Not much longer, do you think?" Genma asked.

"No, I don't think so. As soon as that boy gets his head on straight, they'll be engaged and they'll be wed. Oh, happy day." He burst into a fresh deluge of tears.

Kasumi looked down at her father, wondering what it was that had set him off. "You'd better hurry and get your bath, father." With her warning given, she walked away to finish with her own preparations.

"It looks like it's time for me to leave, Tendo. I'll be seeing you when you get back. Enjoy your trip," Genma said.

Soun waved as his friend departed and then headed for his bath.

The party was in full swing shortly after the test had finished. Ranma had had to beg off from having any sake during the toasting to his health. Not long after, he'd extricated himself from the partygoers. It was dark outside, which was where he'd finally made his escape to.

Nagasawa, seeing the absence of his guest, found him gazing up into the sky. "You are a remarkable young man, Saotome-san." Ranma turned his gaze from the heavens to look at Nagasawa with a questioning look. "I've known Seijin for quite some time. Of course, I knew him as someone else at the time. But I see you are to be much like him in many ways."

"Oh? How is that?" Ranma asked.

Sitting down next to Ranma, Nagasawa drank his sake before replying. "I don't want to mince words with you. That's why I'm going to be fairly direct. Just try to keep up with me." Taking another drink, he drove on, "The two of you seem to be made of the same bolt of cloth, as it were. Both of you are strong martial artists in your own rights. Seijin holds great responsibilities because of this. And I'm sure you'll be inheriting some of these. That's why you were led to him."

Ranma did not reply, allowing for Nagasawa to continue.

"I would have been much like the two of you. But I chose another path. If not for that, you probably would not have been chosen for the future battles. Our friend has been struggling with forces beyond our imagining for a number of years. After living with him for a little while now, I'm sure you've noticed some odd things about him." Ranma nodded, remembering Sendatsu. "I have to ask you this, though. Are you willing to take up the yoke of responsibility and take his place if necessary?" Nagasawa looked directly at Ranma, watching as Ranma sought for a response.

The seriousness of the question made Ranma thoughtful. After a pregnant silence, he finally replied. "I've been practicing the Art since I was only a kid. I don't really know much else besides the odd jobs I've had to do while I traveled. During that time, I found that the duty of a martial artist is to protect the innocent and those that can't defend themselves from bullies or others that would take advantage of them. I've found it to be hard sometimes, but I get a kick out of doing it. It's tough, especially when not everybody appreciates it, but I think the rewards are better afterwards.

"I've helped a lot of people. Just seeing the faces of kids that were being picked on finally able to live a day without some bully bothering them is great. Being able to save someone from an injury is a reward in itself. I like doin' stuff like that. So, yeah, I could probably do it if he asked me to."

Nagasawa smiled. "However, what he fights is of a higher magnitude than what either of us have ever seen, I imagine."

Ranma snorted a laugh. "Heh. I've fought a guy that turned into a phoenix, the Seven Lucky Gods, a dragon, and a lotta other stuff."

Pulling back, Nagasawa looked at Ranma critically. Seeing that Ranma was speaking the truth, his respect for the youth went up even more. "It seems that your experiences have helped, haven't they? I'm fairly certain that each and every fight was a test of sorts set up for you to take. Tell me, how far have you had to go during these fights?" Nagasawa watched intently as Ranma made his reply.

Looking back up to the sky and after a long pause, Ranma said, "To the death." He looked down at his hands, smiling wryly. "He didn't end up dyin' in the end. But I went to the edge and then beyond. I don't know whether I passed the test or not, as you're sayin', really. What I do know is…It was worth it. I wouldn't go back to change it, even if I could. Winning that fight was everything to me that day. And it still is."

Nagasawa squeezed Ranma's shoulder. "I think that's a test that you passed. You have to stand by your convictions. Some think you go to excess, but others think you didn't go far enough. The only one you need to worry about pleasing is yourself. If you don't believe in what you're doing, then there's no sense in doing it. That's why we do what we do. I couldn't handle the responsibility that Seijin asked of me so many years ago. I don't regret it because I know now that I wasn't ready for the task, but I do wonder sometimes. It seems to me that you may be the one that some others have been waiting for to either take his place so he can rest, or to stand beside him when next he is called."

Giving thought to the task that Nagasawa was hinting at, Ranma nodded. Seijin had grown on him during his stay. He'd been one of the best teachers for the Art, besides Cologne, to give him what he needed and wanted. The only thing Seijin got that Cologne didn't was respect. And that was only because he hadn't tried pressing him into a marriage. "I'll do what I can, but there's another life that I lead, too. I'm going to college this next year. Eventually, I hope to open up a dojo like you did. For the past two years or so, everybody's wanted me to look everywhere but at where I wanted to go."

"Yes, you do need to live for yourself. Fighting isn't everything that we do. Living life to the fullest while we can is also part of who we are. That includes ourselves, family, and friends."

Ranma let the words sink in. It had been hard enough to enjoy himself while living on the road with his father. Then, when they'd moved in with the Tendos, there'd always been rivals or fiancées after him. Until recently, he'd been living life moment to moment. "I just wish I could sometimes," he said. "Whenever things start to cool down for me, something else explodes."

Nagasawa chuckled. "That's the way it is with everybody. We're always being tested throughout our lifetimes. Some have more of a difficult time of it than others. Those that make it are stronger for it. And I think that you've grown pretty strong through the years because of this."

His words echoed through Ranma. There had been difficult times that he'd gone through, but had persevered. And that was what mattered. Survival of the fittest. And the fittest would be there to defend those that they cared about who came up against something that would destroy them. And, as a martial artist, he had that ability.

The conversation sparked his mind. Would he really be willing and able to help both Seijin and Sendatsu? The kirin had manipulated his life for some time, as had been hinted at. But there had been an underlying reason, he felt. That was why the anger he'd felt initially had cooled. He couldn't help but worry what else had been done to his life without his knowledge.

It seemed that Seijin lived several different lives besides the one of a reclusive martial arts instructor with a young woman looking after his house. Willing and able. That was the question that Nagasawa was asking him. Would he take up the brand in the stead of Seijin should he stumble? Or would he do as Nagasawa did and find that he wasn't capable of the responsibility?

Nagasawa watched Ranma stare into the dark recesses of the back courtyard of his home. He saw the mental cycling that Ranma was going through by the youth's expressions. He'd accomplished what he'd set out to do.

Finally, Ranma looked at Nagasawa again. "When the time comes, I believe that I'll answer the call. Until then, as you say, I'll live life as well as I can." His gratitude shone in his eyes and was reflected in his voice.

Nagasawa stood, followed by Ranma. "I can see that you're not much for parties. I don't blame you. Living on the road for so long does that to people. You've also had a stressful day." Gesturing down the veranda, he said, "I'll send someone to your room to turn down your bed. Go soak in the furo for a little while and relax for a bit. I think you've earned it."

The two bowed to each other, taking leave of one another.

Ryoga, once again, didn't know where he was. He'd been wandering for only the Kami knew how long, lost in his own thoughts. The days seemed to have blended for him since he'd left Ranma, but it was starting to darken. Time to start searching for a good place to camp.

"Ryoga?"

The voice made his heart stop. Looking up, he saw one of the sparkling stars of his life. Akane. "Nani? Am I at the dojo already?" He looked about, but failed to see the high walls of her home.

"No, silly. You're at the beach. Well, a block away, really. What are you doing here? I would've thought you'd be with Akari." He looked her over, noting that she'd been out shopping by herself.

"Ano…Actually, I was looking for the dojo. I…I have something to get off of my chest." He started shuffling his feet nervously.

Akane smiled. "Really? Well, since we're not at the dojo, you can't tell us there, now can you? Why don't you join us for dinner? Nabiki ordered some food and we're eating it in the hotel. I'm sure there'll be enough for you, too."

"I really wouldn't want to impose. Really, I wouldn't."

Having none of his arguments, Akane took Ryoga by the arm and started dragging him along beside her. "Don't be silly. We'd love to have you. You've been traveling for a while, so a warm meal would be nice. One that you don't have to cook, anyway."

Knowing better than to refuse, Ryoga allowed himself to be dragged up to the hotel suite that the Tendo family was staying at.

"Wow," was his comment as he stepped inside.

"Isn't it nice," Akane asked. "Nabiki met someone whose family owns the hotel. She managed to get us a discount somehow. With her, I wouldn't ask how she did it, but she did."

Stepping further inside, Ryoga was treated to the sight of a full Tendo style meal laid out on the table. All around it were the Tendos, as well as Tofu, who was sitting placidly beside Kasumi. Seeing this, Ryoga looked between the two, watching for any danger signs from the doctor. Finding none, he relaxed slightly.

"Look at who I found," Akane called out. She presented Ryoga to them, who rubbed the back of his head shyly.

'Oh, joy," was Nabiki's only comment.

The others greeted Ryoga warmly, pointing to a seat for him to take.

"What brings you into the are," Soun asked.

Akane piped up, saying, "He was looking for the dojo to tell us something, but found us here. Isn't that great?"

Alarm bells started ringing for the Tendo family at that pronouncement. Soun, catching Ryoga's eye, made a gesture. When Ryoga nodded, he let out a sigh, holding back his tear reflex.

Nabiki, catching this, didn't allow Ryoga to stay there for another second before dragging the lost boy into an adjacent room. Akane blinked at their sudden departure, wondering what she'd said. Ryoga felt an icy glare directed at him.

"Look here, Hibiki. You're not ruining my sister's vacation. She's started feeling pretty well about most things without you coming in and wrecking all of that. Do you understand that?"

Sadly, Ryoga shook his. "I'm sorry. But I have to tell her. I promised Ranma and myself that I'd do it finally. Even if I do earn her eternal hatred, it's something I have to do. I've lied to her for so long now, that it's impossible for me to go on doing so."

Nabiki was mildly concerned for property damage and possible eviction from the hotel. But that didn't stop her from realizing that Ryoga's honor was driving him forward. And when it came to a martial artist and his honor, there wasn't much anyone else could do. She considered the complications, as well as the benefits, of Ryoga telling his secret. This new development would probably help with the pet project she'd been set upon. She'd also probably get some cash out of the deal, too.

"Daddy paid me to keep quiet about your secret only because of the fact that Ranma was jealous all the time. Now that that's not a factor, there's nothing to keep me from it. Ten thousand yen to help you break it gently to Akane. Take it or leave it." She held out her hand, expectant.

It was an internal debate for Ryoga to decide whether or not he needed Nabiki's help. She'd managed to con him out of money before, but for more petty things. Most of those had been to help make Ranma jealous, he knew. But the help this time would be to get a secret out that he hadn't been able to tell the one person that was being hurt by it. And, if he choked, he'd have somebody to back him up.

Nabiki's help, however, would also help with his continued health when Akane blew up. He was sure of Akane getting angry. Nodding reluctantly, he dug into his pockets, pulling out enough cash to pay Nabiki.

"Now that that's settled, let's go eat."

Ryoga stopped her short. "But you said that you'd help me tell her," he complained.

Smirking, Nabiki said, "And I will. But, first, I want to eat in peace. Or, at least, stay in the hotel a little longer before the two of you tear it apart."

Disgruntled, but understanding, Ryoga followed Nabiki back to the table. Taking his assigned seat, he dug in, all the while watching both Akane and Nabiki.

After their dinner was finished, they settled back. Akane, curiosity finally getting the best of her, pulled Ryoga off to the side. "So, what is it you wanted to tell us," she asked.

*Where to start,* Ryoga thought. *From the beginning, I guess.* Out loud, "I've been keeping something from you for a long time. I have many reasons, but the one that stands out the most, I guess, is cowardice. And now it's time for me to tell you. You see, I…I'm…"

Like a fish out of water, he floundered.

During this time, Akane was wondering what he was trying to confess. It hadn't occurred to her that he had kept a secret from her specifically. She ran through all that she did know about Ryoga. If there were any secrets that he'd been keeping, she couldn't figure any out. And, by the way he was behaving, it was a pretty big secret. But how did it involve her? Becoming suspicious, she looked about to see her sisters and father, as well as Tofu, watching them closely. It was apparent to her that they knew what the secret was, even if she didn't.

After a full minute of his stammering, Nabiki got fed up. Sighing wearily, she stood up from where she'd been sipping a cool drink. It looked like she'd have to earn her money. Turning to Akane, she said, "You see, sis, Ryoga here is a little shy, as you know. So he asked me if I'd help, just in case he did something like this." With that, she dumped the drink over Ryoga's head as he nodded his agreement.

Akane stared at the pile of clothes before her that had been on Ryoga before. There was something moving in them. Fearfully, she started pulling the garments off.

What confronted her made her step back in shock.

Ryoga was unable to meet Akane's eye, so shamed was he. There was no going back now. He felt himself and his clothes scooped up and tossed into a room, which was soon followed by a kettle of hot water. Hurriedly, he changed and dressed, stepping out to find Akane still staring at the place he'd been. Walking to where he'd been before, he awaited her wrath.

After what seemed hours, but were only a few minutes, Akane finally focused. Scowling, she grabbed Ryoga by the shirt front and dragged him closer. "All this time, you were P-chan?" Ryoga nodded, still refusing to meet her eye. He waited for her to throttle him. Turning, Akane saw everybody awaiting her further outburst. "All of you knew about this?"

Collectively, the Tendos started edging for the door. Tofu was the only one to stand his ground, until she directed her gaze at him. "I knew, but it was patient-doctor privilege." He relaxed when her glare was redirected to someone else.

Nabiki was next. "My silence was bought," was her only explanation. Akane grunted.

When her attention came to her own father, he hid behind Kasumi for refuge. His eldest daughter met Akane's gaze. "When I found out, I was about to tell you myself." She cast a quick glance behind her before continuing. "But father didn't want me to. He said that he wanted to see how Ranma would react. If Ranma stopped being jealous, then that's when we were to start worrying. When he said that, I agreed with him. He also mentioned Bushido" She smiled demurely at Akane.

There was a tap on Akane's shoulder. Turning her attention to whom had touched her, she saw Ryoga turning purple. With a contemptuous flick of her wrist, she released him, letting him fall to her feet before her. "Ranma knew, too?" she demanded. Seeing that nobody was answering her immediately, she looked down at the prone form at her feet.

Ryoga gasped for air before picking himself up and answering, head hanging low. His voice was a bit rough. "Hai. He said he'd keep my secret just before I became your pet. He did it only because he knocked me into a pool in Jusenkyo by accident. He didn't know that you were going to adopt me as your pet until it was too late." Rubbing his neck, he said, "And I used his honor to keep him quiet, even though I was betraying your trust and his honor."

Akane's anger slowly melted into shock. Akane found herself a seat rather rapidly. Talking to herself aloud, she said, "And all this time…I hit him each time he was picking on either Ryoga or P-chan. He was only trying to protect me when he broke into my room?" Her anger came back. It was a familiar warmth, but a little different this time. Instead of finding someone else, it was directed at herself.

Ryoga answered her. "Hai. He had been trying to protect you from me. And I used him to stay close to you. I've wronged the both of you. But you the most, mainly because you were innocent and unknowing the whole time. That's why I had to tell you. And to clear Ranma's name."

The implications of having had him in her room…sleeping with her…changing in front of him. She shuddered. Akane looked up at him, a fist raised before her. "Go. The sight of you sickens me. If I see you again, it'll be too soon." She bolted to the room that she was staying in after delivering her ultimatum. She felt that she had to flee before she caused harm to somebody, namely Ryoga. For some time now, she'd been working on keeping her temper in check. At that moment, she wasn't quite sure if she would be able to control herself much longer.

The others heard the door lock.

To Ryoga, it felt like he'd been stabbed. He'd been expecting such a response, but the real thing hurt worse than what the imagination could do. He began heading for he exit.

"Ah…Ryoga, that's the way to the porch," Tofu said.

Finally going the right direction, Ryoga was stopped at the door by Soun. "I'm proud of you, son. You finally did the right thing," he said, patting Ryoga on the back. He was glad that his daughter hadn't gone ballistic.

Kasumi stepped with her own congratulation. "That was good of you to tell her. Don't worry. You're still welcome to the dojo. We kept you secret this long without keeping you out just to bar the doors to you now. We also understand how you felt, trying to protect her when you could. Just give Akane some time before you do come around, though. She's very forgiving, but this one may take a little while."

It lightened Ryoga's heart a little to hear her say that he was forgiven his transgressions. But the best he could hear would be from Akane herself. It had been her that he'd wronged. "Arigato. I have to go now. I promised Akari that I'd come back as soon as I was done. Now that I am, I have to be going."

"Take care of yourself and Akari. Don't worry about Akane. We'll take care of her."

Ryoga squeezed Kasumi's arm lightly in thanks before walking out the door.

The young woman watched her fellow villagers go about their daily lives. She would be out there doing her own job and enjoying herself, except for the duty imposed upon her. Who would have thought that the elders were serious about the curfew ordered since the recent attacks from the Musk?

Now she was stuck watching the Ancestors' hall. It was such a dull job. Standing around, acting like you were guarding it from intruders. It had, at one time, been an honorable post. But that had been centuries ago. It was now used as a punishment for her.

Huffing, she started marching around the building. The building was big enough to hold the whole village if it wouldn't have had the remains of the elders housed in it. Considering that there were three thousand years worth of Amazon ancestors, and each generation had several, there were quite a few remains held within. She had a long walk ahead of her. Part of the way around, she passed one of the other four guards. One at each corner and another standing at the door. That was where she was stationed.

Nodding to the older woman, she continued her rounds.

It was all unfair, by her reckoning. Why couldn't she have been given guard duty at the outskirts of the village territory? At least, hopefully, she'd get to see some action. A wild animal would have relieved the boredom, at least. She passed the other three on her way around back to her post.

She'd lost count of how many times she'd gone around the Hall. It didn't matter, really. Standing forlornly, she twisted her spear, making a hole in the ground. As an ant came into view, she contemplated it before raising the spear up and squishing it with the butt of the weapon.

It was then that she felt a shiver go up her spine, much like someone had walked over her grave.

Looking up, she noticed that the surrounding area had misted over. Not a sound came forth from the fog. No insects, animals, or people could be heard. The only thing she was able to hear was the beating of her own heart and her rapid breathing. Taking a step back from the fog, she bumped into the wall of the Hall, holding her spear ready for any form of attack.

Then it began.

Each of the chimes began ringing softly. She almost fell to her knees in fear, watching the chimes. There was no wind to make them move.

The spectral wind picked up, causing the chimes to sound louder and to pick the tempo. Out of the ringing a whisper came to her. It was a command.

Understanding the message, she turned away from the chimes to find that the fog had lifted, allowing her access to the village.

Fearfully, she gripped her spear, pumping her legs to get to where she was going. Eventually, she made it to where the elders were discussing a minor dispute between a pair of villagers.

She was breathing too hard to give the message. It wasn't that she was out of shape, but she had just run at a breakneck three hundred yards to get to her destination.

The old women waited for her to spit out what she was trying to say.

The chimes…The chimes have sounded. They want all of you there. Right now…All the elders. She said it through her gasping, making it hard for the women to understand her.

It was at this time that Khu Lon walked up, having just arrived into the village. She was followed closely by Xian Pu and Mu Tsu. She looked at the guard quizzically, trying to decipher the garbled message.

One of the elders stepped forward to reprimand the guard. Either tell us what you have to say or go back to your post, girl. Or do you want more punishment? Leaving your post like this is despicable.

The young woman stood tall at this, drawing a deep breath, before looking the elder in the eye. Coherently, she said, The Ancestors have called. They want the elders to meet.

The elders started talking amongst themselves at the news. Khu Lon pulled the guard aside, asking, When did this happen, child.

Just a moment ago, Honored Elder. I was standing guard just after doing a round when a mist surrounded the Hall. There was no sound except for the chimes. The voices said to get the elders immediately. And that's why I'm here. She shifted uncomfortably at the looks she received from some of the women, thinking she wasn't quite right in the head anymore.

Khu Lon nodded. Turning to her fellow elders, she said, It looks like we've been called, ladies. We shouldn't keep them waiting, yes? She looked back at the guard. Why don't you go get cleaned up before going back to your post, child?

Looking down, the guard was aghast at what she found she'd done. Embarrassed, she headed to her own home to change into clean clothing.

All the elders, taking Khu Lon's advice, headed for the Ancestors' Hall. Some went out of curiosity, others in concern, and rest went only see if the young woman had gone completely mad. Just outside, one of the women stepped forward. She was more attenuated to the sprit world. As she approached the building, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, indicating that a presence of one or more spirits were close. She then knew what was required, since there were spirits of their ancestors about. Whom do you wish as a medium, she called out. The ancestors couldn't talk for a prolonged time without one, so they usually asked for somebody to fill in as a host for them during their discussions with the living. Sometimes, even, they asked for more than one. The chimes were merely a form of alert to the living that they wanted to talk.

Her answer came quickly. Xian Pu.

Khu Lon turned around, motioning for her great granddaughter to step forward. It was a great honor to be chosen, since only the elders and the medium were allowed within the walls of the Hall. Proudly, Xian Pu stepped forward, abreast of Khu Lon. She looked a little haggard from the traveling, but that would not deter her from performing the duty asked of her.

There were no more demands, so the group went inside the hall. The elders ranged themselves throughout, set up by social status. Khu Lon was amongst those in the front. It was Xian Pu that stood at the head, taking a seat on the raised platform so all the elders could see her.

The elder, who had asked the ancestors who would be the medium, stepped up to prepare Xian Pu for the task. Burning incense, she made Xian Pu inhale the smoke. It wasn't long before the young woman was in a relaxed state, allowing the spirits access to her body so they could speak openly.

The old women waited patiently for the process to be completed.

Xian Pu raised herself up from her slumped position, looking about blearily. A smile crossed her face before hardening. Khu Lon, step forward so that all may see you.

Expecting this, Khu Lon didn't hesitate. Walking forward, she stood at the base of the platform, balancing on her staff.

Sternly, Xian Pu said, You have accomplished what you have set out to do, which is to bring the bloodline of the Saotome boy into the tribe. It is commendable. However, did you ever consider the implications this may have should he ever find out what you did to him? It may cause his enmity. Xian Pu crossed her arms, glaring down at the old woman before her.

What he feels does not really concern the village. It took me this long to finally be able to fulfill my own promise to the village. We need to remain strong through these troubled times. Having his strong blood with ours ensures our survival for that much longer.

Xian Pu laughed heartily. Oh, but his feelings do matter, child. Khu Lon scowled at the demeaning, to her, address. We called you here now to allow the all of you privy to the information that has been held from the tribe for the past two centuries. A few of the women rolled their eyes. The dead do like their secrets, they knew, since it gave them a feeling of purpose in the afterlife.

She continued. The Saotome boy was known to be coming into the world at some time, as we were told. When, exactly, was not known, but we knew that he would be coming eventually. An outside source, who asked not to be named, persuaded us that we should give him advanced training in our secrets. In exchange for his training, we demanded that one of our own should be wed to him. But that was changed to be a potential bride, since there were also other prospects for him already. We accepted in the end, hoping that we would have him enter the tribe of his own free will after he trained with us.

Khu Lon nodded at the wisdom of how they had bargained. Training in exchange for access to the young man's seed. It would add to the tribe's lineage and they would have another champion to their ranks. But part of that didn't seem to have happened. There was the seed, but no champion. She turned her attention back to what Xian Pu was saying.

When he was born, we chose Xian Pu to be his bride. We didn't, however, expect him to have had so many prospects as brides. We knew he would have at least one or two others, but not as many as his father had engaged him to. And for mere food, most of the time. There was a tinge of amusement, as well as a hint of disgust. However, we also chose you to be his trainer. You had the influence over Xian Pu while over there to keep her in check, as well as being one of the top warriors.

When you arrived over there, you challenged him with the Full Body Cat Tongue. He won that conflict. Shortly after that, you began training the Hibiki boy in our techniques. Since we'd given you free will in this matter, we had to restrain ourselves from reprimanding you. But the Hibiki boy is of no consequence. It was merely a mining technique that you showed him, making him no threat to the tribe. The Saotome boy is, however.

The elders muttered amongst themselves. They hadn't heard that Khu Lon had trained someone other than Ranma while away. It was a breach of protocol, considering that the best weapons that the tribe had were the secret techniques they had perfected over the centuries. It was nearly the same thing with Ranma, but he had been a potential member of the tribe. Khu Lon felt the glares directed at her. She refused to shift about nervously. Even though the ancestors didn't condemn her, the living sure did. She could lose her place on the council if they were adamant enough about her transgression.

Though we disdain the release of our training to outsiders, Xian Pu continued, you did end up training the Saotome boy in what he needed by teaching the Hibiki boy. There are those of us that thought you should bring him back to the village for training, but there are others that are glad that you didn't. He is a potential hazard to all those around him. He is free of the web that weaves our lives together. Those around him have the potential of being pulled out to join him, as well. When we saw this, we agreed upon keeping him in Japan.

It is fortunate that he received the training from Eisei Seijin, as he likes to call himself now. Otherwise, you could have had the whole village destroyed when he broke loose from your constraints. And he would have done so…eventually. That's why we are here now to warn you. Accept him and whomever he takes as his bride into the village. He is to have all rights, both male and female. And that is because he is of both genders. He will bow to the decisions of the elders when it is deemed necessary, but he his a free agent. Do not interfere with him except to help him in his crusade when he is called to action.

This caused assembly to start talking amongst themselves. It sounded like an angry beehive behind Khu Lon. She caught onto the fact that there were more reasons that the ancestors wanted Ranma accepted, but were unwilling to voice them. That suited her, since she would know eventually. Secrets always came out in the end. As to having him accepted as they'd described, she became intrigued as to how the village would handle his privileges.

She returned from her own contemplation back to Xian Pu. She had a question or two of her own. What other plans do you have of Xian Pu? She was put through this by you, and I see that she should be given something in return for her sacrifices. She was near the point of being outcast for not having brought Ranma back from Japan after she gave him the Kiss of Marriage. What of that?

Xian Pu rubbed her belly, saying, Aren't children reward enough? Do not think that we had nothing for Xian Pu when she accomplished her tasks. They will come in time. Her answer was cryptic, but it was enough to satisfy Khu Lon for the time being. But there is the need for her to undergo some more rigorous training. How she behaved in Japan is unworthy of a true Amazon warrior. The elders looked amongst themselves, nodding to each other. They had ways of dealing with that.

How do you know that Ranma will accept being an Amazon with full rights? He could refuse them. Is there any guarantee that he will join us, as well as his wife?

As always, when dealing with the Saotome boy, there is no guarantee. He is a loose thread. How he decides is yet to be determined. His spouse, if he decides to take one, will follow his lead. Of that, we're fairly sure. Xian Pu changed the subject on her. On another point, we were wondering exactly why you went from an observer to an antagonist. You were content to watch the squabbling of the youths after the Saotome boy defeated you with the Cat Fist. With only an occasional dabbling into the lives of the youngsters. There were a few gasps at hearing the dreaded technique. There had been a few of the tribe who had tried it, only to fail miserably.

After he was to be wed to the Tendo girl, he came to the restaurant and slandered us. I am proud of my heritage, as none here should doubt. And no mere boy was going to be allowed to say anything in my hearing without reprisal. I let Xian Pu try to woo him. I also knew that he had feelings for the Tendo girl, making it impossible for Xian Pu to win him over. But, yes, I was content to just watch until he angered me. Also, let it be known that my fellow elders were in agreement in the actions that I took in the end by allowing me this course.

Xian Pu smiled. Yes, we do know how you cherish your heritage. Next time, however, all of you should weigh your odds more carefully. Turning to the assembly, Xian Pu addressed them. Let it be known that these two have returned with all honor intact. No punishments are to be doled out for what any of them did while they were on foreign soil except for some conditioning on Xian Pu's part. And I leave it to Mousse's family to judge him for his actions of late after considering what he has done. Take into account that he was acting in what he felt as an honorable manner, however. Fare thee well. After the last had words left her, Xian Pu's body slumped to the ground.

The elders began talking to each other. Quite a few had never had the experience of having a visit from the ancestors. Yet others talked about how the event had been enlightening.

Khu Lon woke Xian Pu up using pressure points. When the young woman was finally coherent, she said, Go home and get some rest. You'll be exhausted for the next couple of days because of this. And take Mousse with you. Have your father keep an eye on him.

Xian Pu nodded, pulling herself to her feet. With small, weary steps, she made her way outside. As soon as she stepped outside, Mousse was at her side in an instant, helping her home.

Having seen to the welfare of her great granddaughter, Khu Lon turned to her fellow elders. She cleared her throat to get their attention. One by one, they turned to her. In light of this new development, I think we should decide exactly what rights Ranma will have, as well as his wife, should he choose one. Also, we should figure out how Shampoo is to be a mother, since the two's joining is of mixed ancestry that appears to be of consequence. I have my own thoughts on this and will discuss them at the next meeting. Several of the women nodded. I say that we should retire for the day to think about it before we decide. Until then. Satisfied that everything had been settled, for the time being, she hopped out of the Hall after Xian Pu and Mousse.

Kuno Tatewaki looked at the scattered bodies of his former Kendo club members. He had just defeated them single-handedly. Raising his bokken before him, he grinned. He was now ready for the loathsome Saotome.

Ken clapped from his position along the wall. He'd been drilling Tatewaki in the Art quite thoroughly the past several days. The initial time with the younger man had been to find his weak points, thus making sure that they were made less so.

And then they had made improvements on his current form. After days of intense training, they had finally come to the day where he would fight the best students of Kendo in the area, which happened to have been in his high school club.

The unconscious bodies lying about him showed that Tatewaki was ready for Saotome Ranma. His death was assured.

Ken smiled evilly in anticipation. His master would be pleased. 


	8. Chapter 8

The characters from the Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi are used without license. This story is not for commercial use. It's just for the enjoyment of those who like to read the alternatives.  
>Notes: * - signifies thoughts<p>

Chapter 8

Cards on the Table

Akane was not weeping, like the others thought. In fact, she was pacing, wearing a rut into the floor. Silently, she fumed about the news she had just received. How could Ryoga have pulled that one over on her for so long? And with so obvious of hints from Ranma and other clues to the identity of her pet pig.

She stopped, clenching her fists, calling herself all manner of baka and how the one word could be used for so many demeaning definitions. Her aura lit the room, making her seem a lamp in her own right, so strong was glowed.

Ranma was at the center of it all, as always. Even when he wasn't around, he still affected her in subtle ways. Some even not too subtle. Though blame was thick on his end with this incident, she had to admit that it was his sense of honor that had kept him quiet. He'd even gone to the very limits of said honor in order to clue her into what was going on, which surely would have been tarnished, in his eyes, to have gone further. And everybody knew how much he valued his honor, even if it was a bit askew to others.

But he had tried to keep her safe from the hentai the entire time. Getting Ryoga lost, constantly fighting, and the harassing. Always, it had been Ranma's fault, in her eyes, that the bickering had started, which led to the rearranging of the landscape.

If only...

Akane laughed bitterly. There were too many of those. If this, if that. *Can I ever get away from that? If...my mother hadn't died. If...only I had been a little more sympathetic to Ranma's curse in the beginning, we might not have fought as much. If...only Ranma's father hadn't engaged him to other girls, which had caused too many problems. If...I hadn't been such a bitch to Ranma, even though he protected me to the point of giving up on his cure many times.*

Way too many. She remembered the first time she'd met him. He'd said that he would give his life up for the Art, but never his manhood. And he'd done it for her a few times already. Oh, Ranma wasn't entirely out of the water because of all this. He had plenty to account for. Leading the other girls on the whole time. Being an insensitive jerk almost all of the time, though he had his moments.

She smiled at that last. He's had plenty of those times in which he was nice for her to cherish. During Christmas that one year when he'd accepted her gift after seeing what she'd gone through to make it. And later for putting a companionable arm around her shoulder. She couldn't forget the time when he'd reached out, after leaving Ryugenzawa, to take her hand.

It all added up to one thing, but she didn't know what to do about it. They were both at fault with so many things. Ranma and his fiancées. Ranma and his secret with Ryoga. The list went on, but there was plenty of fault to go around for everyone. Her and the temper that was always present. Her and the constant hassling of Ranma and his curse, rather than letting him deal with it, only making him more insecure, considering how he had thought her words counted for something.

Their fathers, for instance, were another factor that had caused trouble. Pushing them together constantly, never giving them a chance to breathe. Or even to get to know each other without somebody interrupting. *Heh. If it hadn't been for them interrupting us when we were about to kiss after that skating incident, we might have actually gotten somewhere.* But it was not meant to be.

Or was it? If she had a chance again, would she take it?

Most assuredly, she knew.

But that left forgiving Ranma his transgressions. And he would surely ask for her to forgive Ryoga. They had fought, but it had become some sort of sick friendship. She also knew that she would eventually forgive him, if not forget. Never to forget, most assuredly.

Sitting against the wall, she looked out the window to the clear sky. With Ryoga's confession, she'd come to some conclusions about the both of them. Herself and Ranma, that is. Despite what he'd done in the past, she was able to put it behind and look forward. Maybe they could start over, or maybe not. It was all up to Ranma. Her last actions had condemned her to giving him the last choice.

Oh, she knew how much she'd hurt him with those parting words on prom night. The soul-wrenching look of pain hadn't been lost on her, even though she had been blinded by her own rage. He had every right not to want to ever speak to her again, even when he had said that he'd forgiven her.

But things were in her favor, she knew. He was going to a college right next to hers, which would allow her to see him on occasion. With no fathers, sisters, rivals, or the odd fiancée to wreak havoc. Sighing almost happily, she walked out to find that everybody had left to walk the beach.

Shrugging to herself, she changed and went to the secluded little cove not too far away from their hotel to work out. If she wanted to be any good, she had to practice her martial arts as rabidly as Ranma did. And a vacation wasn't an excuse to slack, which is what would be his attitude.

Ranma hefted his backpack, stepping off of the train. He was alone now, since Seijin and Toshi had gone home.

He winced as people jostled him. It wasn't the fact that the pack was heavy and cumbersome. The problem was that he'd been given fragile gifts to carry in it. After everything had died down the first night, he'd been presented with gifts from the Grand Masters, as well as a number of the students. Some had to be shipped by mail in order for him to get them home.

Stepping out of the train station, he got his bearings. With that done, he set off to the Nerima district, which was only a few miles away from where he'd gotten off at. His strides were purposeful. He was also slavering, thinking about the meal his mother would make for him when he got there.

Years of traveling had given him a stride that ate up the miles. The only thing that slowed him were the people on the streets, as well as the traffic. There was nothing he could to about it. It still didn't take him long to get to his destination.

Opening the gate, he walked up to the shoji. Pausing for a moment, he made a cursory look over himself. Satisfied that he wasn't too cruddy, he opened the door slowly, so as not to alert anybody in the house. Carefully setting down his backpack in the entryway and discarding his shoes, he walked inside.

Sounds were coming from the family room. Peeking around the corner, he saw his mother cleaning up. He stepped back, drawing in a deep breath.

With a half-grin, he stepped around the corner, saying, "Tadaima."

Nodoka's head jerked up, startled at his entrance. Upon recognizing who it was, she had him in a vice-like grip. Ranma tried to breathe. "It's nice to have you home, Ranma-kun," Nodoka said, pushing Ranma away and wrinkling her nose. "You're all sweaty. Why don't you go get a bath and I'll set out some clothes for you? I'll have something ready for you when you get done."

Ranma's eyes lit up in anticipation at the reminder of the upcoming meal. Nodding, he retrieved his backpack and headed to his room, ending up in the furo.

Nodoka pulled out some of the rice balls she'd made earlier, as well as preparing a small bit of fish for her son. By the time he had finished his bath, she'd made a decent meal.

"Thanks, mom." Ranma dug in, his lightning-fast abilities shoveling the food in as faster than he could chew. His mother looked on disapprovingly, but didn't say anything. This time.

When Ranma was finished, they retired to the family room to catch up on each other's lives.

"How did your training trip go for you," Nodoka asked.

"It was great. I got some great moves from a few dojos. Then I settled down at this one place that an old guy named Seijin lives at. He taught me some pretty good stuff."

"You look quite healthy, dear. I assume he fed you well enough."

"Yeah. Toshi cooks great. She's about as good as Kasumi. She's the girl that stayed with Seijin, taking care of his place for him."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow at this. It didn't sound like he'd fallen for her, so her plans weren't in jeopardy. "I see. Did you end up training with the katana your father took with him?"

"Yeah. Seijin's pretty good with most weapons, so he gave me some training on it. I already knew how to use it. He just helped with some techniques and improvements on what I already knew. That reminds me." Getting up, he ran back to his room, retrieving the katana.

When he got back, he held the weapon out to his mother.

Nodoka shook her head gravely. "No, dear. It's yours now. By accepting it from your father, you also became the head of the Saotome clan. I only held it for your father while you two were training. Now that you're eighteen, you are now responsible for the katana." She beamed a smile at him. "And I'm proud of you. When you go to fight Kuno-san, you'll be using it."

Ranma nodded, sighing sadly. "I don't want to hurt him. He's a jerk and a baka, but I never thought about having to kill somebody again. That's what he's asking me to do. Either I kill him, or he kills me."

Her voice hardening, as well as her face, Nodoka said, "It is your duty to uphold the honor of the Saotome clan. To back down would disgrace us. And seppuku would be the least of our worries. Kuno-san knows full well what he's doing. This world has no place for fools. And he is one of them because he has challenged you."

"I'll do what I must," Ranma said, his voice saying that the conversation was over.

It was Nodoka's turn to nod.

Ranma changed the subject. "Did you receive the letter I sent you after Oyaji showed up?"

"I did. I've taken it into consideration concerning what you are proposing. I had some research done and it was found that all we need is the individual's consent. Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Sure am. All I have to do now is ask."

"Would you rather I do it?"

"Nah. I've got it under control for now." His voice showed a little uncertainty, but he was resolute about what he was planning.

It was a wonderful Friday evening as Ukyo walked up to the Saotome residence. A smile was plastered on her face. It was the first time she'd actually been invited to Ranma's home and it was exciting. She would also get a meal by Nodoka, which she hadn't had the liberty to try, but had heard all about from Ranma.

Before she could announce herself, Ranma opened the shoji, having been watching for her. "Heya, Ucchan. Dinner's almost ready. Mom said we've got a couple more minutes." He beckoned her inside, leading her to the tea room.

She noted that he was wearing a yukata instead of his usual Chinese outfit. She, herself, was wearing a kimono, but hadn't expected to see him in more formal wear. "What's with the get-up, Ranchan?"

Looking down at himself, Ranma blushed. He fidgeted with the cloth nervously. "You'll find out soon enough. How's the restaurant been doin'?"

"Good so far. Without Konatsu, it's been harder, but I've been managing. He called day before yesterday, saying that he should be returning within the next few days. He sounded a bit strained. Poor guy." Ranma nodded, only imagining the kunoichi's plight.

They heard Nodoka calling out, saying that they should get to the table. "Well, let's go. Mom's ready now."

When they entered, Ukyo was treated to a sight. There was a whole array of foods other than okonomiyaki. Nodoka and Genma were seated on one side of the table. Taking her cue, she sat beside Ranma.

When everyone was seated, Ranma said, "Itadakimasu!"

Ukyo raised her eyebrow at this. *Isn't Genma supposed to say that,* she wondered. Letting the thought pass, she ate with gusto.

With Ranma and Genma eating at half of their normal pace, the meal lasted longer than usual. By the end of the meal, Ukyo's curiosity was starting to get the better of her. It was apparent that she hadn't been invited to the Saotomes for a simple meal. Both Genma and Nodoka were wearing formal wear, which had alerted her early on.

Seeing that everyone was done, Genma stood and helped his wife take the dishes into the kitchen. Instead of them cleaning, they simply put them into the sink for later. Ranma motioned for Ukyo to follow him into the tea room, where he pointed to her to take a seat on the cushion that was set across from three others. She took the designated seat.

Sitting in the middle seat across from her, Ranma waited for his mother and father to come back from the kitchen. Finally, each flanked him on their respective seats, which were pulled a little behind his.

Ukyo took this all in, sweat starting to form on her brow. Things were escalating from a quiet dinner into something that made even Ranma a bit on the formal side. She swallowed the lump in her throat that had formed.

"Ucchan, through the fault of our fathers, your dowry was taken from you. You were left destitute for the next ten years. After having caught up with me and my father, you renewed the engagement." His words were clipped, as if he were trying to say a speech that had been memorized.

A light started shining in Ukyo's eyes. *Is he going to renew the engagement and marry me? Him and Akane aren't engaged anymore, so...* She stomped on her thoughts, pulling herself back to listen to what Ranma was saying.

"For over two years, you've suffered the indignity of a tarnished honor. Only recently did I find out that you had disavowed the Kounji clan. It is a reflection on the Saotome clan and how it honors its obligations. Now, as the new head of the Saotome clan, it is my duty to rectify this situation."

She didn't know what to make of this. If Ranma was now the head of the clan, there were several possibilities that could occur. She desperately pushed them out of her mind.

"Therefore, I am asking you if you would like to become a Saotome."

Ranma grunted at the sudden impact of Ukyo, who had jumped up and glomped him. "Yes, Ranchan! I'll marry you." She crushed him in an embrace.

Placing his hands on her forearms, Ranma disengaged himself from her. "Ucchan..." She didn't respond as her eyes glowed with happiness. It was more than she'd ever hoped for. There could only be one way for him to make her a Saotome, and that was to marry. "Ukyo," he said firmly.

This brought her out of the euphoria immediately. Ranma only used her name when he had something really important to say. Looking around, abashed, she took her place again.

Looking back at his mother, who nodded encouragingly, Ranma continued. "I do love you, Ucchan, but not the way you want me to. I'm sorry. When I asked you if you wanted to become a Saotome, I was asking if you wanted to become my sister. That's the way I feel about you. You were my best friend over the years and that hasn't stopped. It's just...I can't bring myself to love you like I would a wife."

Downcast, Ukyo looked at the tatami mat between them. Her cheeks colored at having made a fool of herself just a moment before. Looking up, she saw the sincerity that Ranma displayed. He was so expressive with his face when he allowed it. And now was such a time. She couldn't fault him for it. A movement behind and to the right of Ranma made her turn.

Genma had shifted from impatience. He wanted to go back to either reading the newspaper or watching television. But he'd been dragged into this kicking and screaming to watch his son fix the problem he'd made. If he would have had it his way, he would have stayed outside as a panda.

Ukyo's eyes narrowed to thin slits. "That would mean that he'd be my father, wouldn't it?"

Ranma scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah. I guess so." He could tell that she wasn't all that thrilled about the idea. "You could, you know, call him Oyaji like I do and beat him up every morning."

This brought a chuckle out of the two. Genma only grumped, crossing his arms and facing away.

"I don't know, Ranchan. I'll have to think about it. Could you give me a little while?" She pointed outside to where the gardens were.

"Sure. Would you like me to go with you?"

"Please."

Standing up, Ranma opened the shoji leading outside and allowed Ukyo to precede him. They walked in silence, stopping at the small koi pond shaded by a cherry tree.

Ukyo's exterior was placid. Internally, however, her mind was a flurry of activity. *What did I ever do to deserve this? First, it's a fiancée, then I'm after his blood, and then fiancées again. And now he wants me to be his sister. There's some law written by the Kami that says I can't have Ranchan like I want. Or is it just some big cosmic joke?*

Moonlight sparkled off of the ripples made by a koi that was swimming near the surface. The ripples lapped at the sand. *Ranchan's just like that koi. He might not realize it, but whenever he moves, he sends out ripples. Not really ripples in his case, but tsunami-sized waves. And he doesn't even know what comes out of it. Every little action he does affects everyone, but he's clueless. It's sweet how naïve he is, though, even when it's aggravating at times. One of his charms, I guess.*

The koi swam deeper, into the darkness and out of sight. *And now things have come to his attention. All the bad stuff is pushed up and is rearing its head, but he's starting to take care of things. Instead of letting the waves go unheeded, he wants to fix everything once and for all. Would it really be so bad to be his sister? I might not get to have him as a lover, but he'll still be there for me when I need him. And...I'll have a family again, even if it is with that jackass Genma.

Looking over because he heard a sniffle, Ranma saw Ukyo's eyes glimmering. Companionably, he put his arm around her shoulders. Upon feeling the arm, Ukyo leaned into it.

It didn't take long before she folded and began crying, face pressed to Ranma's chest as he awkwardly tried to comfort her.

"I'm really sorry, Ucchan. You, of all people, should know how I feel. It's the same as with you and Konatsu. It's just..."

Cutting him off, Ukyo said, "No, Ranchan, it's okay. It's not as much as I'd hoped for, but more than I expected. Somehow, I should be mad, but I'm not. Having you as a brother would be nice. Ever since I disowned my father, I still had to sign everything as Kounji. It just kept reminding me of everything that's happened. Maybe now I can move on."

Hesitantly, Ranma moved forward with the proposal. "When I found out that you'd done that, I got ahold of my mother and had her do some checking for me. There's only one problem that we came across through it all. Something simple as you being registered as a boy, is all."

Ukyo laughed wetly. "That's pretty easy to fix, really. All I have to do is call the lawyer that did the change and have him fix it real fast. I've got his number somewhere. Nothing to it."

"Good. Well, we have the adoption papers inside if you want to sign them."

"Wow. That was fast. You've only been back for what...a day or two?"

"You're forgetting something. This is Nerima, where they have some of the most powerful martial artists, quicky-marriage priests, and lawyers with the fastest pens around." They both laughed at his attempt at humor. "Actually, I wrote Mom and had her do some checking just after you left that one time. She decided for herself that she'd have the papers drawn up, just in case."

Ukyo nodded in understanding. "Let's go back so I can go sign them, 'kay?"

Ranma hugged his new sister and walked with her to her newfound home.

An ominous gloom hung over Tokyo, casting the empty lot in a perpetual shadow. All four members of the Saotome clan stood on a small hill, more like a bump of dirt that had been pushed into a semblance of such, overlooking the barren ground. Across from them stood Kuno Tatewaki, with a dark figure that they didn't recognize. Ken eyed Ranma, impressed by the youth. He hadn't, until then, seen the Ranma in person.

Ranged about them were spectators. Somehow, unbeknownst to the participants, the word had gotten out that there would be a fight of some sort.

Stepping away from his parents and sister, Ranma strode across the intervening space, stopping halfway between his starting point and where Kuno stood. Kuno did likewise, taking his cue from Ranma, and walked away from Ken without a glance. His posture was stiff and he cast a disdainful eye upon Ranma as he walked forward.

Instead of the usual cheering that accompanied the bouts between Ranma and any of his opponents, the crowd was eerily silent. It seemed that they had caught the seriousness of the mood.

Scattered throughout were policemen. They were there mainly for crowd control. If it had been a normal fight, they would have interceded. However, these were powerful martial artists in their own right. Besides, with Kuno's family influence, they were unwilling to step in. It wasn't that they wouldn't stop the wealthy youth...it was just they didn't want to deal with the hassle it would cause.

"Saotome." The word was sheathed in distaste and boiled in venom. The name rolled off of Kuno's tongue as if it truly one of the worst curses anyone could find to utter. "It has come time for us to finish our business for the last time. Many times have we fought. Now, however, I hold the advantage over you. Your lack of skill with my weapon of choice shall be your undoing and will break the bonds of evil that you have spread throughout Japan."

Ranma smirked, rubbing the base of the hilt to his own katana. He'd let Kuno think what he wanted for the time.

"I see that you have come in what you wish to be buried in. You should have worn the rags you deserve, however. Spending someone else's money for your gross wants is despicable."

Ranma didn't bother to look down at himself. His attire had been picked out by his mother shortly after she'd received the challenge from Tatewaki. She had wanted him dressed finely, as befitted his skills. It was a black ensemble. Sleeveless shirt, ankle-tied pants, and shoes. Emblazoned on it was a dragon of iridescent green, each scale depicted. In each of its claws were katana. One's blade was a fiery red while the other was a cool blue. Around his waist was a red sash. Attached to it was the Saotome katana.

"Look, Kuno, I really don't think you want to do this. I sure don't. Somebody just might end up gettin' hurt doin' this. And I don't think it's gonna be me."

Enraged at Ranma's brashness, Kuno shouted, "Silence, fiend! I am not here to mince words with such as you. Prepare for the extinguishing of your miserable life." He pulled his katana free.

Ranma didn't bother to move, even to draw his own katana. "What's gotten under your skin, Kuno. Just tell me that, at least."

Holding his katana in front of himself, Kuno took a deep breath before replying. "I do this for the deceit you implemented as soon as you arrived. You used your dark powers to entrap me into chasing your female self." His face darkened even more, his mouth writhing as if he were tasting something bad. "And for the ill treatment of one Tendo Akane. For your base lusts and perverse pleasures, you treated her with the least amount of respect and caused her pain."

"What happened between Akane and me is our business, nobody else's. As for me deceiving you...Well, you never did catch on, even when I tried tellin' ya. I even changed in front of you a few times, but you were blind. Ain't my fault."

Kuno sloughed off the explanation. Impatiently, "Draw your weapon, that way I might end your life that much more sooner. Your putrescence existence is a canker to all."

Ranma remained in a relaxed position.

"So be it, then. It will end sooner this way."

"I'm tellin' ya, Kuno, you don't wanna do this."

Like a viper, Kuno struck at Ranma. With a step forward, he sought to impale Ranma through the heart. At what seemed the last moment, Ranma slipped to the right, allowing the blade a hair's breadth of distance between it and his sleeveless arm.

Kuno recovered quickly. "So, it seems that you wish to extend the time you remain by one more breath. I shall enjoy the time it takes to cut you to mere ribbons. The screams that you emit will be music to my ears."

As Ranma dodged the next series of strikes from Kuno, he said, "I can keep this up all day, Kuno. The only one that's gonna get tired or hurt is gonna be you. Either stop being a baka or I'm gonna have to get nasty."

"Spare your empty words for the afterlife."

Ukyo smiled. She'd seen Ranma dodge Kuno's attempts to disembowel him numerous times. This time it wasn't any different. It was different in its own way, however. Kuno wouldn't stop until one of them were dead. And the duel had constituted the fact that Ranma couldn't use his hands and feet, only the katana. As of yet, he hadn't pulled it free.

Genma grumbled to himself about Ranma being an idiot and not ending the fight. Meanwhile, Nodoka watched impassively.

As Ranma dodged Kuno's attempts, he found that his opponent had changed his patterns. Instead of the usual inflexibility, there was more of a fluid grace where there had been none. Still, though, the kendoist wasn't able to come even close to the dodging martial artist. But that didn't mean Ranma was going to be careless, especially since Kuno was using a razor-sharp katana.

"Give it up, man. There's no reason for this." Ranma's voice softened a little. "You ain't killed anybody. And I don't think you wanna start now. That sort of thing ain't worth it, believe me.

Tatewaki's face was a mask of hatred. He snarled, "You are a deceiver. Your sorcery must be banished from this world forever. And the way you treat women is contemptible. Defiler of women!" Growling, he upped the tempo of his strikes. His sudden glee at seeing Ranma being pressed turned to consternation. He still hadn't caused Ranma harm of any sort. Not even a drop of sweat had formed from the exercise, whereas he was pouring.

They parted. "Give it up, Kuno. There's no way you're gonna touch me. As far as this 'defiler of women' stuff, I've never touched or harmed any girl. Ever. Besides, I don't know any magic, so there's no way I can be a sorcerer as you say."

"The vile ways you used your curse can be attributed to your dark soul, if there is a soul at all. And the way you treated the fair Akane is far too much. Such atrocious acts are unforgivable." He sent a few swings at Ranma, testing defense and reflexes, which were as they had been a moment before.

"The only reason I ever really used my curse was to find a cure. Nothin' else, really. Maybe to do a fight or two, but that's about it. It was you who didn't believe me, even when I changed right in front of you. As for Akane, she gave as good as she got. You've never had to put up with her temper like I did."

"It was a righteous anger, for she saw you for what you are. A wicked demon. A demon, I say, for you are neither man, nor woman, though you possess both forms. An incubus or succubus? It doesn't matter, really, for you are to die here."

Ken smiled to himself.

"Whatever. You're still in your own little dreamland, Kuno. What's between Akane and me is between us. It's none of your business. If she ever wanted your help, then she would've asked for it. But she never did. Maybe because she say you for the hentai that you are, really."

"As her appointed champion, it is my business."

Ranma sighed, noting his mother's frown. He'd at least tried talking Kuno was out fighting, but it hadn't seemed to work in the slightest. There seemed to be no way for him to get Kuno to back down. He was also getting bored. Or impatient. Whichever...Drawing his katana, Ranma faced off against Kuno.

Kuno smiled at this. His victory was now assured. Leaping forward, he barraged Ranma, who went on the defensive.

A wall of steel lay between them. Even with Kuno's increased speed, Ranma felt like the swords were moving in slow motion. He'd practiced with Seijin until their arms had burned with exhaustion. Just to anger Tatewaki, Ranma changed his grip to a one-handed style, still on the defensive. It was a little difficult, but manageable.

When they parted again, disbelief was evident from Kuno. "B-but how?" he asked. "you've never held a weapon. You shouldn't..."

"Kuno no baka," Ranma admonished. "Kendo is also a martial arts form, even if it does use a weapon. And, if anything, martial arts is what I'm best at. You think that since my school practices unarmed combat, I'd fall all over myself using a weapon? How do you think I was able to dodge you the first time we met? I've known Kendo for quite some time and know the forms. Anything goes, man. And it means just that."

Slight comprehension dawned on Kuno, but clouded again. "But what of Tendo Akane? she always managed to strike you with either a shinai or mallet."

Chuckling, Ranma replied, "Feh. If I had wanted to, Akane would never have been able to hit me." Turning serious again, Ranma asked, "Do you wanna give up now? Nobody's going to hold it against you if you stop now."

At this question, Kuno stiffened in indignation. "Nay. I shall still see you defeated. For eons, only the righteous have won." So saying with this belief in mind, he engaged Ranma again.

This time, however, Ranma turned the tables by going on the offensive. He was still holding back, playing with Tatewaki.

Tired of the game, Ranma struck several decisive blows. A forceful swipe drove Kuno's katana into the ground several inches, trapping it for a fraction of a second. But it was enough time for Ranma. Before he could recover, Ranma slapped the back of Kuno's hand with the flat of his own blade, causing him to release the hilt. Disarmed, Kuno was unable to defend himself anymore. Stepping inside of Tatewaki's guard, Ranma drove the hilt of his own kata into the taller man's solar plexus.

With a whoosh of escaping air, Kuno fell to his knees.

Ranma stood to one side, his blade resting on the neck of the prone form in front of him, waiting for Kuno to regain his breath. It took a while, but he eventually did.

"Finish me, for I am defeated," Kuno said, stretching his neck out for the final blow.

In one fluid motion, Ranma sheathed his weapon. "Nope. There's no reason for you to do. You might be annoying , but that's hardly any reason for you to lose your head, man. My mom thinks I should kill you, but I know better." His voice grew thoughtful. "Killin' someone ain't as easy as it sounds. Just because you think you're right doesn't mean anything. You can't replace that life if you take it because you found out you'd made a mistake later on. The art was made to protect the weak and innocent. The ones who couldn't defend themselves from attackers. It's not for duels like this because of imagined slights. Before you start judging people and deciding they need to be offed, try getting more info."

Kuno didn't say anything, looking at the ground in front of him, absorbing what Ranma had told him. The way Ranma sounded, it was as if he'd experienced giving the killing blow to someone. The young kendoist hadn't ever done such a think, but he was able to read Ranma's voice of this one fact.

Ken walked out of the dispersing crowd, sneering. To Ranma, he said, "The both of you are weak. He can't you. And you can't stomach killing. What kind of martial artist are you? Pitiful. Not even worthy of calling yourselves such, I say."

Eyeing the stranger, Ranma replied, "You ain't got nothin' to do with this. Why don't you go home or somethin'?"

"Oh, but it is my business. I was foolish enough to waste my time with this worthless garbage groveling at your feet. Instead, I should have been entertaining myself." Ken inhaled, his nostrils flaring. Looking down his nose at the two in front of him, he continued with his tirade. "You really should kill the imbecile. He wouldn't have hesitated if it were you at the end of the blade.

"Besides, he wouldn't know a true demon if it came up to him and taught him some swordplay." His eyes sparkled with an inner mirth. "I do believe, however, that this world would be better served by not having such boorish incompetents."

It was the snicking sound of a weapon being drawn that warned Ranma, who was looking at Kuno. Instinctively, Ranma drew his own katana and blocked the blow aimed at Kuno's head. The wound of their blades meeting echoed throughout the empty lot. Those few that remained watched as another unfolded before them.

Purple arcs of energy chased each other about the ebony blade Ken held. The malignant energy didn't seem to affect Ranma's mundane blade in the least. If Ranma was surprised at this sudden turn of events, he didn't show it.

"You're not gonna kill anybody, mister. Go away before you get yourself hurt." Ken laughed in his face. Ranma stepped forward, causing their blades to cross in front of them. With a mighty shove, he sent Ken back several steps, effectively blocking any and all approach to Kuno.

Ukyo, seeing her chance, ran over to the kneeling form and dragged him to safety, pausing once to grab the embedded katana. When they reached safety, Kuno managed to pull himself out of his stupor and watch. To his astonishment, his enemies and allies had switched places.

With teasing probes, Ken tested Ranma's defenses. "I didn't think you would be such a worthy opponent. When I was sent to dispatch you, I'd thought I was after a mere boy who was only just growing into his power. An oversight on someone's part, I'm sure. You're quite remarkable, really. If I had known you were this skilled, I wouldn't have bothered with the little fop in the first place. It was quite entertaining to watch you humiliate him, however."

They circled each other. It was apparent to each of them early on that they seemed evenly matched. It was Ken's skill that matched Ranma's speed. Their blades flickered, probing. With the gloomy overcast, Ken seemed even more sinister than Kuno remembered him.

Nicks and cuts appeared on Ranma's arms, bleeding lightly. Ken received his own fair share, but they didn't seem to bleed. This caused Ranma to worry. Each time they grazed him, Ranma's muscles twitched involuntarily, which caused him even greater alarm.

It was a lucky strike, as Ranma saw it, as he lashed out at Ken's exposed wrist. The blade sliced through the flesh, severing eh muscle. No blood was forthcoming. Nor any cry of pain. Before his eyes, the wound healed itself. This sight caused Ranma to stall for a fraction of a second. Twisting, Ranma dodged Ken's riposte. The blade that nearly disemboweled him caused Ranma's stomach to clench painfully. It was supernatural, Ranma knew, and decided to treat it with the utmost caution from thereon.

Ken drew the darkness about himself, much like a cloak. The smile he gave Ranma was a sickly white that said the light was being leeched out of it by the encircling darkness. It took effort for Ranma to keep his eyes on him, the sight was so disturbing.

They stood several meters apart. Ken laughed megalomaniacally, causing everybody's hair to stand on end. He became serious once again, weaving a pattern in the air before himself, using the tip of the katana as reference. A symbol in kanji, glowing in purple, was traced out and floating in front of him. Pulling the katana back, he thrust forward into the kanji. When the tip of the katana pierced its target, the flickering from the katana joined with it and shot forward.

Taken by surprise, Ranma managed to cross his arms before himself, allowing his simple bracers to take the brunt of the force. But the lightning arced around him, causing his muscles to spasm. He was lifted off of his feet, bouncing several times, managing to regain his feet quickly.

Ken was there, attacking Ranma as he stood up to defend himself from the sudden onslaught. A few strikes managed to get through Ranma's faltering defenses, creating thin gashes along his torso and upper arms.

"Your time ends, Saotome. Perhaps, after I'm done with you here, I'll see how much your friend Ukyo can pleasure me. I would like to know how female she truly is and see how she performs, considering she grew up with a male identity. Or one of the Tendo girls, perhaps? I'm sure Kasumi would be easy to break out of the oblivious shell she has erected around herself."

At the threat directed at his sister and the sweetest girl Ranma knew, he became enraged. Even when the oni had possessed the kindly Kasumi, nobody had had the heart to harm a single hair on her head. But this fellow alluded to more. Blinded by fury, Ranma's defenses went down a little, allowing openings that Ken exploited. Rivulets of blood stained Ranma's silk shirt crimson.

As Ranma began losing, a dark aura began forming around his opponent. Ken's eyes, which had been a dark brown, were now a depthless black.

Those that had stayed or returned found the potential for lethal violence rise exponentially. Mothers grabbed their children and walked away briskly, almost breaking into a run. The few individuals with more recklessness, or less intelligence for that matter, stayed. All the Saotomes were on edge, watching Ranma being cut to ribbons.

Ken continued his verbal abuse as he wore Ranma down. "Nabiki. Now, there's a woman with talent. Good head on her shoulders. She's proud of her body, which is nice." He licked his lips in a crude manner. "A tasty treat, I'm sure." Deftly, Ken disarmed the enraged Ranma, sending the young man tumbling.

Ranma sat on the ground, exposed for a killing blow. He cursed himself for having let his emotions run out of control. He sought his center, looking for the 'soul of ice'.

Ken circled him, katana pointed at Ranma the entire time. "Incompetent. That's all you humans really are. And pathetic. Can't forget that, now can we? Letting yourselves let little things get to you." With a mocking smile, he said, "Akane. A true firebrand. Someone that could pleasure me for some time, I know. She has...spunk."

Standing, Ranma turned with Ken as he was circled, gathering his focus.

"They say that you'd do just about anything for her. Even die, yes? Last I'd heard, she would rather slice and dice you much like I am doing right now."

Ranma sniffed disdainfully. "Ain't much you really know, though. What do you want, really?"

"Why, to kill you. I was told you are someone that could become a nuisance. And I'm here to dispose of you before that happens. Nothing else, really. My time here has been short this time, but I think I'll spend some more with those I'd mentioned."

Ranma's eyes flattened, his body stiffening. "You have to get through me first, though."

"Oh, such a simple matter, really. You're half dead already, as it is. You're without a weapon. Hopeless, really."

It was Ranma's turn to smile condescendingly. "Ya think? Try again, freak! Mouko Takabishi!" Leaping, he followed the ki sphere that he'd sent off after Ken.

This tactic took Ken by surprise. He'd thought to toy with Ranma, tormenting him mercilessly before his eminent death. But it seemed that his opponent had other ideas. Raising his sword in front of himself, he blocked the sphere, but didn't notice that Ranma was right behind it.

Grabbing Ken's wrist, Ranma pulled and twisted. There was an audible snap as Ken's wrist was broken, letting the katana fall to the ground. He didn't stop there, though. With his other hand, the tapped a smart tattoo across Ken's torso, breaking ribs with the powerful strikes. His fists were glowing with a strong energy from deep within. It was his focused emotions, manifesting themselves for the naked eye.

It didn't take long for Ranma to decimate Ken to a quivering mass of flesh and bones. The darkness that had surrounded him was now dissipated, his concentration having been lost. His arms dangled at his sides, out of socket and broken in several places. Where Ranma had hit him with this ki-powered fists was smoking. He was, virtually, in his own cloud, considering Ranma had worked him over thoroughly.

Ranma had shown no mercy this time. It was quite unusual for him to do so, but felt an instinctive need to banish the hellspawn that was before him. He balked at the idea of ending his life, so he just looked down for a moment, trying to decide if there was something that could be done. But Ken had all but admitted that he, himself, was a demon. And demons were something that couldn't be allowed to roam freely, creating chaos and harming others. And making sure others were safe was a martial artist's duty.

This gave Ken the chance to recover somewhat. He focused his astonishing abilities to heal at least one arm enough to pull forth a tanto. With this in hand, he centered his attention upon a single point on Ranma.

Striking like a serpent, Ken rose form his prone position to embed his weapon into Ranma's stomach. Instead, Ranma stepped back, managing to keep the blade from entering his body, but not enough to keep it from slicing his shirt and entangling with his clothes.

Grabbing the offending arm, Ranma twisted and pulled the dangerous tool away from his body and disarmed Ken with another twist of a wrist and nerve strike.

Ken looked into Ranma's eyes and saw his death.

Ranma had found, using his ki-powered fists, that such tactics truly harmed Ken. Thus, he found his center and began drawing from the earth. He used as much control as he could in order to keep himself from burning out.

A wind picked up around the two. Ranma stood tall, his eyes becoming unfocused as the immobile Ken remained on his knees. Blue and green lights rose from the ground, circling the two and rising higher into the sky. Tendrils snaked about them, causing smoke to rise from Ken's body.

Those that were watching gaped in awe of the light show before them. With the spectacular sights they'd seen before from the local martial artist, this one topped them all. What was happening was only in stories, mostly those to children at bedtime and scoffed at by the adults. But this was not so this day.

The Saotomes were also stunned. Genma not as much, but he was still in awe of the focus and power that Ranma was drawing forth. Pride swelled forth for his son. Ukyo and Nodoka watched had been wringing their hands, watching as Ranma had been outclassed. But now they were elated at the turn of events.

It only took a few heartbeats to draw forth the energy to surround Ranma and Ken in a cone of dancing lights. The wind picked up around them, but didn't affect anything outside a five meter radius around them, which was the boundary of the rising energy.

"You forgot that I was better at unarmed fightin', eh?" Ranma taunted as he finally looked down at Ken. "I don't know who sent you and don't really care right now. But there's one thing that ain't happenin'. You ain't messin' with anyone while I'm around." He gripped Ken's wrist tightly, causing the other man to wince. "When you get wherever you're from, tell your boss that if he wants a piece of me, then I'm waitin' for him."

With this challenge, Ranma released the control he had on the sea of power he was holding back. Cocooning himself as best as he could, Ranma rode the wave that erupted around them much like a surfer.

The two didn't rise into the air, but the power whipped around them mercilessly. Beads of sweat rose from Ranma's brow just as Ken burst into flame. The circle widened around them by another ten meters, causing everyone to take a cautious step back.

It was an unnatural flame, at that. It was a black fire with purple highlights. His scream was drowned out by the torrential wind that rose into the sky and tickled the clouds above. As Ken burned in the spiritual fire, his ashes rose into the wind. The weapons that he'd used decayed as his remains were lifted away, leaving only the impressions of where they'd lain.

In moments, there was nothing left of Ken or the rising energy. Slumping to ground, Ranma panted. He'd expended the last of his remaining strength just trying to stay alive in what he'd created. He'd taken the principles of what he'd done when he'd fought Cologne, but had turned it into a weapon. And that weapon had been sharp. Sharp enough to take the life of its creator.

Now that Ken was no more, Ukyo ran forward to check on Ranma, quickly followed by Genma and Nodoka. Kuno was on the sidelines, awestruck at what he'd just seen. Already, his short-sighted vision of Ranma was being reworked.

Looking up at his sister, Ranma said in a whisper, "I think I overdid it." With this, he slumped to the ground, a welcoming darkness engulfing him.

With a cursory check for his vital signs, Genma lifted his son to his shoulder. By the time this was accomplished, the crown had dispersed. Post haste, of course.

The Saotomes rushed off to the nearest clinic to take care of Ranma. Not too far behind was Kuno Tatewaki, his brow furrowed from his disturbed thoughts.

After a quarter of an hour of waiting on the doctor to check on Ranma, he finally came out to pronounce judgment. He was crowded by the anxious family as soon as he stepped out. Taking half a step back, he tried to get some breathing room.

"He's going to be fine. The cuts are minor enough not to cause any significant scarring. A few days of bed rest are sufficient to get him back up to full recovery." He handed Nodoka a small jar. "Apply this to his wounds once each day. Preferably before he goes to bed, so that he doesn't rub it out during the day."

Their anxious faces relaxed at the good news. Each time Ranma had been cut had made them flinch, but they were glad that there would be only minimal scarring. "We are indebted to you, sensei," Nodoka said.

The doctor waved this off. Behind the Saotomes, Tatewaki stepped forward. "If I may..."

The others looked at him questioningly. Nodoka's face hardened, but it didn't cause him to falter.

"Considering the...ah...reason for this, I'd like to be the one to pay for the care of Saotome Ranma. He not only spared my life, but he also saved it. For this, I shall always fall short in repaying, but at least a small token now would be what I can offer."

Ever ready to accept handouts, Genma nodded. Nodoka and Ukyo readily agreed with him this time. I had been Kuno's challenge that had brought Ken to the fore, nearly ending Ranma's life.

Seeing this acceptance, Tatewaki walked to the reception desk and made the proper arrangements while everyone waited for Ranma to be carted out. They heard him before they ever saw him, considering the nurse was yelling at him to sit in the wheelchair instead of walking.

As Ranma rounded the corner, they saw that he was leaning on the wall for support, but waving off the wheelchair-wielding nurse. As soon as he caught sight of his family, he straightened and pushed away, weaving precariously.

Ukyo muttered something about stubbornness, but left it at that. She walked up to her brother and attempted to allow him to use her body as a crutch, but he refused it. Sighing, she walked beside him, watching for when, or if, he would fall.

When he reached the lobby where everyone else was waiting, Tatewaki stepped forward, bowing. This caused much surprise for those who knew him fairly well.

"Aw, stand up straight, man," Ranma said, waving off the obeisance.

"I am indebted to you hereafter, Saotome Ranma. Should you ever need, you only have to call and you shall be provided for. You spared my life when I sought yours. And, after doing this, you spared me from an hellish fate."

Ranma looked at the ground, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I don't need anything, really." He looked up at his father, who was signaling, and gave him a dirty look. He turned his attention back to Kuno. "But thanks anyway."

Tatewaki started to protest, but Ranma held up his hand for silence.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but it's just what I'm supposed to do. You would have done the same thing, I think. You've never killed and I'm sure you don't want to, really. Let's just leave it at that." Ranma smiled wanly and then stepped away, waving at the silent Kuno.

After that, he was worried over by his mother all the way back to their home. Just as he was about to rest for the night, he was accosted by an exuberant Ukyo who wanted to apply the ointment to his wounds. He pointedly said that he could do it himself and promptly fell asleep as soon as she walked out, without even applying anything.

And that's how the day ended for him. As for Ken, he had it much worse...

It was two days after the fight with Ken and the Tendo family was back from the beach.

Nabiki hung the phone up, smiling to herself. The plan was set and she needed only put the pieces in their proper place. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. This was her biggest ploy to date, and she didn't want it messed up. With a quick stop by her room, she went in search of her youngest sister.

Akane was in the dojo, working herself into a lather. She'd been there ever since they'd gotten back from the beach. She hadn't even bothered to unpack.

"Hey, Akane, are you hungry?"

With a couple more punches to the bag, Akane let her arms fall to her side. Grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off, she walked over to where Nabiki was waiting. "Not really. Why?"

"Well, I've got this ticket here for a place that just opened up a few weeks ago. Thought you'd like to try it." She held up the piece of paper for Akane's inspection.

"Why don't you use it?"

"I already got one and used it," Nabiki explained, starting to get irritated at Akane's balking behavior. It wasn't often that she would let something like a free meal, or anything else free, through her hands.

"Well, I don't know. I'm not really all that hungry right now." To prove her wrong, her stomach protested the point. Blushing, "Looks like I am. Okay." She took the proffered ticket and headed inside to get cleaned up.

Shaking her head ruefully, Nabiki muttered, "What I do for this family." The television caught her attention and she sat down to watch the latest reports.

Ranma looked up at the sign, making sure that it was the one his mother had shooed him off to. Satisfied that it was, he walked inside and was greeted by a waitress.

"Good day, sir. Would you like a booth or would you prefer to sit at the bar?" She smiled pleasantly at him.

Handing her the paper, he said, "I got this. Somethin' about a free lunch if I brought it in." There was nothing better than a free meal, as far as he was concerned.

The waitress read it with a frown. She didn't know of any specials going on lately. Suddenly, she beamed a smile at him. "Of course. How forgetful of me. Your table is right this way, sir. Your friend has already arrived."

Curious as to what she was alluding to, Ranma followed. As the approached the both, he saw a figure sitting with their back to them. He couldn't quite tell who it was because of the smoky glass pane separating the booths. When the figure turned to see who the waitress was waiting for, Ranma saw who had been haunting his dreams for the past several months.

Both caught their breaths, startlement evident upon their faces. Ranma was able to recover enough to take his seat. A cup of tea and a menu were set in front of him.

"Hiya, Akane. Kind of a surprise to see you here. In a way, it isn't, though."

Akane chuckled. "I guess so. I should've known Nabiki had something up her sleeve when she just up and gave me the ticket saying I could get a free meal. She's usually not one to pass up on that sort of thing.

"She was probably already paid for it. Mom sent me here after she said she wanted to spend some 'quality' time with Ukyo before she had to go to work. She insisted that Ukyo become more of a lady."

Curiously, Akane asked, "What's up with Ukyo? I haven't really seen her since school got out. She's been avoiding me, I think. Besides, I don't think your mother really paid attention to her before." She felt a sense of dread creeping up on her.

Ranma's eyes brightened. "Oh, that's right. You weren't around for a while, so you didn't hear. Besides, it only happened a couple of days ago. Well, Ukyo's a Saotome now."

Akane felt the world come crashing down around her. All her hopes kicked one last time as they took their dying breath, washed away in the gutter. "Oh," she said in a tinny voice.

Ranma noticed Akane's dejected posture. He'd said it the way he had on purpose. Moving on, "Yeah, well, how've you been doin'? I heard you guys went to the beach again for the summer. How was that?"

Pulling herself out of her slump, or at least trying, Akane replied, "It was fun. I had to tell a few of the guys there to leave me alone. Some were a bit too persistent. I had to persuade them to go find someone easier."

"More like you punted them to the next beach," Ranma joked. They laughed, Akane nodding in agreement.

Their waitress returned to take their orders. "What is it you would like, miss?"

"I'd like to try your soba lunch special, please."

The waitress scribbled on her notepad. "Okay. And you, sir?"

"How about that tempura plate that guy over there has?" Ranma pointed to a table where another couple were enjoying a lunch together. "I just might be able to hold me until dinner."

"That's a two person platter, sir. Do you mean that you wanted the tempura special for one?"

"Nah. I want that one. I guess that if I hafta pay the difference, I will." The waitress did some more scribbling.

"Yeah, he likes to pig out a lot," Akane piped in. She leveled her gaze at Ranma.

Indignantly, Ranma said, "I ain't no pig. I've just got a healthy appetite." Seeing the by-play between the two, the waitress stuck around to watch for a moment. "Besides, I've been growin' a bit lately." He missed the look she was giving him, since he was turned away, focusing on something other than Akane.

"No," Akane said quietly, "that's right, isn't it? Ryoga is."

Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, as well as seeing Ranma's face, the waitress decided it would be best to turn in the orders as soon as possible. Ranma began sweating bullets. Slowly, he turned his head back to Akane, whose face was studiously expressionless. "W-whatcha mean by that?" He had a feeling that he already knew, however. Only one thought ran through his mind. I'm dead...I'm dead...I'M DEAD. His stomach did a flip-flop and sank to his feet.

"Why don't you give me your side of the story? Start from the beginning, wouldn't you?"

Ranma swallowed the lump in his throat. He became enamored with the tea between his hands as he spoke. "It's like this, you see...I-I'm the one that got him cursed. It was an accident and all, but...it's still my fault in a way." He looked up, but saw no mercy. "After I got cursed, I was chasin' Oyaji around Jusenkyo. I didn't even know Ryoga was there when I knocked him over the cliff and into one of the springs. I found out right after he came here, and so I promised I wouldn't tell anybody about it. Tellin' someone's weaknesses and all, ya know, whether he's an enemy or a friend." One fist clenched, knuckles whitening. "After that was when he started sleepin' with ya."

They sat in silence for a while, Ranma still looking into his tea and Akane staring out the window.

Finally, Ranma broke the uncomfortable silence. "I tried tellin' ya without breakin' my word. A few times there we thought you'd finally figured it out. Gomen...gomen nasai."

Akane looked at Ranma, feeling his sincerity. "No, Ranma, I should be the one to apologize. Everyone knows how much you value your honor. Even when you don't like it. I probably would have done the same thing if I were in your place, but I don't know if I would have kept it. What you did shows how strong you are in character. I apologize for being cruel to you. I was the one that accused you of picking on Ryoga when, in actuality, it was usually Ryoga that started the fights. Besides, you had a reason to get mad at him all of the time." Seeing Ranma about to argue, she held up a hand to him and continued. "Every time you came to save my honor, it was me who pounded you. I should have noticed it a long time ago." She let out an explosive breath. "Everybody else seems to know about it besides me. They were probably afraid of how I'd take it, which was what it looked like when I did find out."

"Not everybody knows. There's a few people that still don't know. Mom, my sister, and a few others." Ranma let a small smile play with his mouth.

Akane nodded, then caught herself. "Wait a sec. Did you just say sister? You didn't get a cure for your curse and end up with a sister, did you?"

Grinning, Ranma said, "Nope. Still got the curse, but I have a sister. I had Ucchan adopted by my parents a couple of days ago." For some reason, he suddenly felt the temperature rise a bit in the general vicinity. He saw Akane start to glow, her eyes flashing dangerously. "W-what's up?"

"You made me think you and Ukyo got married."

Ranma laughed loudly, drawing curious looks from nearby. "Nope. I didn't do anything of the sort. All I said was that Ucchan is a Saotome now. Besides, if we were married, wouldn't you have seen a ring on my hand?" Akane seemed a bit mollified. "You jump to conclusions way too easy, Akane. Especially when it comes to me. Still, it seems."

Their food arrived and their cups were filled with tea once again.

Suitably chastised, Akane focused on eating. She had to admit to herself that Ranma was correct in his evaluation.

Ranma did likewise, respecting Akane's need to think. He forced himself to eat more like a normal person. Having been away from his father and not having to fight him for food had been a good thing. Then, having Seijin and Toshi around had honed his eating habits to more human than vacuum levels.

Not a word was said until they finished. Their waitress walked up. "Is there anything else that I can get you? Dessert, perhaps?" She refilled their tea cups while she waited for them to answer.

Akane shook her head. Ranma answered for the both of them. "No, thanks. We just wanna talk for a little while longer."

"Okay. I'll be by to check on you every once in a while, sir." The two nodded thankfully and she walked off.

Finally, Akane was the one able to be the first to say something. You're right, of course. I do jump to conclusions too easily."

"Ah, don't worry, Akane," Ranma said, waving it off. "I'm used to it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. So...How's everybody else been doin'?"

Brightening, Akane said, "They're pretty good. Kasumi and Tofu-sensei are dating pretty steadily. He's finally grounded. No more hysterics whenever he's around Kasumi. A little lapse here and there, but not like before. She's working at his clinic now, too. Your mother has been helping out a bit since Kasumi has been going over there more often, but I've pretty much taken up the slack where I can. I've also learned a few more recipes. Not the greatest cook yet, but I'm doing okay."

Keeping his foot out of his mouth and his face neutral, Ranma only nodded. He knew that Akane had been improving, as her curry had indicated from before he'd left. "Nabiki still up to her old stuff?"

"Mm-hmm. She's the one that gave me the ticket, so I'm thinking one of our parents are having her set us up together. I'm pretty sure that she's still got her 'friends' around to help with her little schemes, too."

They fell silent for a moment. Nabiki was still a sore spot for Ranma. Having near-nude pictures taken of him in either form wasn't very endearing to him.

Biting her lip, Akane asked, "Now that you don't have any fiancées, what are you going to do now?"

It had finally come up. Ranma had been expecting it the entire time, but had been dreading it, too. Sighing, he said, "I'm going to college. That's about it, really." He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"So, nothing besides school, then?"

"Yeah. I want to run a dojo some day. People will want to have someone with at least some education to teach them or their kids martial arts these days. That's what I figured out, at least. Nobody wants some 'dumb jock' or whatever, you know."

Akane nodded. It seemed that everybody was getting at least one form of a degree or another. Even for appearances, if nothing else.

She felt her heart to start to race, considering her next question. It was like she was about to walk over hot coals. The only way to get across, though, was to take the first step. "Would...would you like to go back to the way it was? You know, the engagement and all? I know I was the one to break up and all, but I think the decision is mainly up to you now." She felt herself holding her breath, waiting for his answer.

Looking at her, Ranma suddenly felt apprehension overwhelm him. He saw her expectant look. Turning away, he looked outside while he picked his words carefully. Would I like to back to that? he asked himself.

Images of the times they'd had together flashed before him. The constant bickering, overpowering jealousy, the feeling of just not knowing where he was going when it came to her...It wasn't a very endearing memory. There were the good times, sure, but those were what stood out.

He still had feelings for the girl...no, young woman...sitting across from him. They had never diminished over time, only hidden under the pain of rejection. They flared anew, but he pushed them back forcefully.

Looking across the table, he admired her. She didn't have the 'tomboyish' figure anymore, having filled out to womanhood. No more baby fat, as if she'd had any in the first place, hid the corded muscles under the skin, showing that she'd been working on her martial arts of late. And she'd grown taller, as well. Even during the summer months that he'd been away, he could tell that she had grown a few inches. She'd even filled out in other ways, he'd noticed.

But that wasn't what he was considering, he reminded himself. There was the remaining fact that he was still cursed. It was the biggest factor for him. He wanted to be a whole man for her, or any woman, for that matter. She deserved more than that for her life. And, since he'd been around her, he'd brought untold danger into her life. It was inexcusable.

It didn't make the decision any easier. But he knew that, in order for her to have a happy life, he had to let go. He'd promised Toshi that he'd at least try, but prior events were imprinted in his mind too well.

He turned away when he answered. With heart-rending agony, he said, "To go back to being engaged like we were? Having something forced on us when we weren't ready and uncertain of how to live with it? Everybody making decisions for us, trying to run our lives how they want it to be? No. I'm sorry, Akane, but that's not something I can go back to."

It was the one answer that she had dreaded most of all. She thought that everybody could hear heart shatter. With a muffled sob, she bolted out of the restaurant as fast as she could.

Ranma turned at the disturbance. Seeing Akane's fleeing form, he followed. Knowing instantly where she was going, he smiled to himself. There was no way he was going to leave her without someone. He remembered the time she'd gotten over Tofu Ono. Having him, or 'her' at the time, had helped Akane to no end.

And it was yet another testimony of Akane's overemotional side. Leaping to the roofs, he took his time at reaching their eminent destination.

Akane just couldn't handle it. After having everybody telling her how much he cared, the one word he'd uttered had shown how much they'd lied. Hot tears coursed salty tracks down her cheeks. She knew that going home wasn't an option at that moment. They'd been the instigators of the 'chance' meeting. There was no doubt about that. Seeing her all worked up would alert them instantly that their plans hadn't gone well.

It didn't take her long to make it to the bridge. Sliding down the slope, she made it into the shade where she sat down.

Hugging her knees close, she cried as she watched the water flow by, cursing herself for allowing any hope of making up with Ranma to enter her heart. Instead, she should have treated it as if they were friends meeting, not as if it were a second chance.

Ranma heard a few sniffles with his acute hearing as he neared the bridge. He knew Akane usually came to hide under the bridge when she wanted to run away from a problem that had been plaguing her, or just to be alone. This seemed to be one of those times. It was one of his own places, too.

He knew that he wanted to help her out with this, but didn't know why he hadn't turned it over to one of her friends. They would have been able to handle it better than he could. He was of two minds about his actions. Dread and longing fueled him. One part wanted to accept her as his fiancée again, but the other wanted to keep her safe...from himself. Even if they weren't going to be fiancées, he wanted to stay friends, at least. And that's why he was there, he decided. To remain friends, if nothing else.

"Thought I'd find you here," Ranma called out, walking up quietly.

Akane, startled, jumped up into a defensive position. Seeing who it was, she relaxed a little. "What do you want?" She turned away, quickly brushing away her tears before turning back.

"Just to talk some more. You never did let me finish speaking. Still jumpin' to conclusions way too easy, Akane." He sat down, patting the concrete beside him.

She eyed him dubiously. Relenting finally, she sat down.

"What I was about to say, when you ran out, was I don't want to go back to the way it was...I mean, who'd want to go back to fightin' all the time? Or the aggravation, our idiot parents' pushing, your sisters' little plans, or just all the craziness."

Not knowing what to make of this Akane asked, "So...what are you trying to say, Ranma?"

"Well, I...We started and ended pretty bad. We were fighting all the time. And, when we weren't, we were ignoring each other. And besides...all I've ever done for you is get you into trouble. Gettin' kidnapped, challenged, and just about anything else that's under the sun."

Akane giggled at his presumptions. Seeing his uncomprehending look at this, she explained. "Before you came, I was always getting into fights. How do you think Kuno ever thought up the challenge in the first place? I was the best fighter in Nerima until you came. I was the one that accepted the challenges to the dojo, which I defended each time. As for danger, that's nothing new to me. I was attacked by giant animals in Ryugenzawa before we even met, remember? There's a few other things that have happened to me that nobody has talked about yet, but I'm still not convinced by your explanation. So, next question."

He hadn't even considered all of that. But still, he had his own agenda. "I dueled Kuno day before yesterday. It was supposed to be to the death."

Akane gasped. She had an inkling of how Ranma felt about that sort of thing.

Seeing the frightened question in her eyes, he continued. "No, I didn't kill him. He never had a chance in the first place, but I did get better ever since I left. Well, after I beat him, I saved his life from this other guy. That's where the problem that I have is. We fought, but then it got really dangerous. We were about an equal match with our katana. I'm good and all, but he was better. My only saving grace was my speed.

"Only problem is, when I was finally able to hit him, mine went through his arm without even causing a scratch. You see, Akane, he wasn't human, I don't think. Some sort of oni, spirit or other creature. He pretty much said he was a demon. More or less, anyway. And he was out for blood. Mine, mainly."

It was apparent that Ranma had won, but she was curious as to how. "What did you do to end up beating him?"

"Well, I used a Moko Takabisha against him. When I saw that it had worked, I used a technique and stuff I already knew to...to kill him."

Akane barely caught the last words, as they'd been whispered. Something troubled her, though. Ranma, no matter what the conditions, usually tried to subdue his opponents. Even the oni that they'd trapped and put into the box with Happosai hadn't felt any real threat from Ranma at the time. All he'd ever tried to do to the oni then had been to subdue, never to destroy. There could only be one reason that Ranma would do something that extreme. "How was I involved, Ranma?"

Visibly flinching, Ranma seemed to shrink into himself at the question. "He...threatened me with you. He said that after he killed me, he'd take you as...as a..." Ranma's voice became choked, not allowing him to continue.

"As a what, Ranma," she prompted.

"A consort."

They sat in silence. All of the pieces of their conversation started to fall into place. He was trying to push her away in order to keep her safe. Somebody, more menacing than most encountered until then, had used her as a trigger for Ranma. It still showed that he cared for her in some way. It was quite possible exactly how she felt about him. And, if it was, she wasn't about to let him walk away without trying to keep him. An ember sparked inside of her, warming her instantly.

Up until then, she'd been the one to push Ranma away. Now it was time to pull him as close as she could. She could see that he was the one trying to push away now, but that wasn't what she wanted, deep down. Keeping him at arm's length had been the most prudent thing for her to do until he had left, with only minor lapses here and there. And now it was time for her to fix all of that, no matter what he thought, said, or wanted.

Turning so that she faced him fully, she took one of his hands. He didn't look at her, but he didn't resist, either. With her other hand, she took his chin and made him look into her eyes. She was about to get a few straight answers from him. He was saying one thing, but desperately wanting another, but unwilling to allow it. That she could feel deep down.

"Saotome Ranma, upon your honor, answer me truthfully." He tried to pull his hand back, but she gripped it relentlessly. There was something in her tone that made him not want to do as she asked. "Please," she pleaded, which stopped him. He finally nodded. Ultimately, there really wasn't much that he wouldn't do for her. "If you were on the other side of the world...and I called for your help, what would you do?"

There was no way, short of running, to get out of answering her. She'd pulled his honor into it and he had to answer as truthfully as possible. For almost the same reasons that he was trying to push away, he felt that he wanted to pull. So he answered, instead of running. "I would be there as fast as I could. No matter what was needed or what the problem was. There is no situation too small or too big for me to answer your call." His throat was dry at this, but he was glad to say the truth.

It was as she'd thought and hoped. "Ranma..." She left his name hanging in the air, watching him smile sadly. It had been hurting him to push her away, she saw, but she wanted to heal his wounds. "I would do the same for you. In fact, we both have already. And not that long ago, either."

His brow furrowed, trying to understand what she meant. "Whatcha mean by that?"

"While you were away, did something happen to you? Like getting attacked?"

Shifting nervously, he said, "Sorta."

"While you were gone, I had something happen to me, too. Your father suddenly disappeared for a few days. We were worried the whole time. We figured out, eventually, that he'd been to see you. Well...apparently when you fought whomever it was, you had a bit of a problem, right?" He nodded. "For some reason, I suddenly felt that you needed my help. So I did what I could. I don't know what it was, but...Daddy and Kasumi said that I called out your name when a pillar of fire erupted around me. Do you know anything about that?"

Ranma scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Ano...Y-yeah. Cologne and Shampoo showed up with Oyaji. They attacked me. Ryoga, Ukyo and Mousse showed up. Me, Ryoga and Mousse fought Cologne while Oyaji and Ukyo took on Shampoo. It was a pretty bad fight. I was beatin' Cologne's pants off. Mousse was more of a distraction to her while Ryoga was taking the beating. I probably coulda taken her on my own if they hadn't distracted me so much, but I was still doin' pretty good. But the fight kinda ended when she splashed something one me. But that wasn't it. I kinda blacked out for a few hours, ending up in the house I was stayin' at." He didn't want to go into detail as to what he'd done when he'd 'blacked out', so left it at that. It had been a horrible experience that he didn't want to dwell on. Reliving nightmares weren't something that he relished.

"I thought there was something. Tofu-sensei told me that he'd seen something wrong with my ki. Kind of like there were two spirits within. Do you know what that means, Ranma?"

She thought now would be one of those times to do a pull. More of a yank, really. Before, they'd only been close to intimacy due to a dare. But now, with nobody to see or interfere, she felt daring. She looked at him coyly.

Ranma began to sweat when she started to look up at him through her lashes. "Iie," he managed.

In a sultry voice, she said, "It means that we're closer than any couple that I've ever heard of. I mean, having sex is close, but sharing souls is just a bit more, don't you think?" She fluttered her lashes at him, making him fall backwards, stunned.

"Gak," he said intelligently in complaint when he hit.

Akane attempted to stifle a giggle, but couldn't. She laughed as she moved over Ranma's prone form, effectively pinning him where he lay. Looking down at him, she gasped out between her laughter, "You should've...seen your...face."

"I don't see what's so funny," he replied. He tried to sink into the unyielding concrete as her face neared his.

She gained control of her laughter, saying, "The look on your face was priceless. You turn into one, but you still have no clue as to how we are."

"Yeah, well, laugh it up." He couldn't help but smile, though. They had just been talking about some serious stuff and here they were, joking around with no more care for the outside world. Whenever they had had a moment to themselves, they'd invariably grown closer. Without parents, rivals, or fiancées to interfere, they'd managed to be friendly and enjoy themselves at times.

Inches from his face, Akane said, "Ranma...I would do the same again for you if it came down to it. It's been lonely without you around." Her voice shook with suppressed emotion. "No silly contests, rivals popping up out of the woodwork, or even a stray fiancée. I've...missed you."

Ranma shifted, trembling slightly. She'd just turned the kawaii factor up to full power. And she was running one hand through his hair. "Y-you did?" He started to feel a stirring.

"Mm-hmm." She leaned closer to him. "Because there's something that I've wanted to tell you for a very, very long time."

Akane's hand gripped the base of his pigtail, locking her hold firmly. Ranma couldn't do anything else but swallow audibly. Ever since he'd had the fight with Cologne and Shampoo, his body had been betraying him. Now was such a time. "What's that," he squeaked. There was nothing else he could do but suffer under her ministrations.

He felt her warm breath on his face. There was no hesitation as she said, "I love you..."

It was their first kiss. Though it didn't set the nearby church bells to ringing or anything like that, they still felt as if there were some release. A built-up tension poured out of them.

They clutched at each other, deepening the kiss. After almost three years of anticipation, they had finally done it. No interference from anybody. And it wasn't even a dare, or even a double-dare between the two. It just was. They clung to each other as if the other were a lifeline.

When they parted for air, they were breathing heavily, and not just from the lack of it. Ranma shifted about, blushing. Then, scowling deeply, he said, "Aww, man. Here I am, trying to save you from me and all the weirdoes that wanna kill me, and you're trying to seduce me. Who's the hentai now?"

Akane looked at him, perplexed. Then she realized what he was talking about. She couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably.

Ranma gurgled helplessly, his eyes bulging...among other things. Turning his head, he spotted a possible savior. Sitting up quickly, which pushed Akane off of him, he cried out, 'This'll fix it." Leaping into the water, he was submerged for a second. Ranma-onna surfaced, grinning maniacally. Almost as sudden as the change, she turned as red as her hair and started trembling.

Alarmed, Akane asked, "What's wrong, Ranma?"

Unable to meet Akane's eyes, Ranma looked away, fists clenching spasmodically. Her face was as red as her shirt, if not even more so. "I...I've never been...aroused in my girl form before." She could have sworn she heard Akane blinking, her mouth gaping at the same time.

"Never?" It hadn't occurred to her that Ranma hadn't.

"Yeah." The water started to evaporate from her body and clothes rapidly from the internal fire radiating out.

"How? Why?" Akane stared at the impressive sight before her. She'd never seen the like. Before, she'd seen Ranma able to control his body with an iron grip. Seeing her thus, she was stunned at the lack of control that hormones could do to one so powerful...like evaporate water form the body in mere seconds.

Ranma-onna thought back, remembering. "Well, when Shampoo showed up the second time, I grabbed one of Tofu-sensei's shiatsu books. I used a few of the, ah, sex drive inhibitors on myself." She was about dry.

"But that was...over two years ago, Ranma." Akane walked forward, noting that Ranma-onna was as tall as she was. It was a bit surprising, since she'd grown herself and Ranma-onna had been much shorter before.

"Yeah. Only thing is, I think my body's making up for lost time. I've grown a few inches in both forms." She hunched over as another wave of heat and desire washed through her body.

Akane nodded absently, namely at how she'd managed to get Ranma get heated up, which showed in both forms. With an impish grin, she hugged the other girl.

To everybody else, Akane would say that she wasn't lesbian, or even bisexual. She firmly believed that having a man was the only thing for her. But the fact was, Ranma was both male and female. She got no pleasure at looking at other women, but she'd finally accepted Ranma as he, in this case a she, was. It didn't matter what form Ranma took, whether it be male or female. Ranma was still Ranma.

And, of course, not being able to read Akane's mind, Ranma didn't know this. "W-whatcha think you're doin', Akane? We're both girls!" Ranma-onna struggled for a few second. Their breasts were rubbing together, eliciting strange feelings throughout her entire being. Unsure of the situation and not knowing anything else to do, Ranma-onna stopped all action.

Akane blushed at her own daring and Ranma-onna's obvious excitement and nervousness. But she had plans. "Ranma, I don't care anymore. Whichever form you take, your soul is always the same." Ranma-onna stared into Akane's eyes, seeing the sincerity.

Just as passionately as she'd done to Ranma's male form, she kissed the female form, too. Ranma-onna was frozen for a moment from shock. It was as if the dams had been opened. Akane was willing to accept the curse for what it was worth. It had been a sore point between the two the entire time, but now it didn't even matter. Admitting defeat at the lips of Akane, she started to respond, her heart feeling a release to what had plagued her for a long time. They lost themselves in the moment.

Finally, Ranma-onna was able to regain her senses. Loosening Akane's hold, she dove into the water up to her neck. "Whoa, Akane. Wait a sec, would you?" Steam started to rise from the surrounding water. Though she would have been warm enough to heat the standing water to make herself change, there was cold water replacing the warmed, which didn't allow it.

She was desperate to get in control of her hormones. Cooling the body, she thought, would be one way to help with that. Eventually, she was able to think and talk straight, so she stepped out of the water, calling forth her power to suppress her emotions using the soul of ice. It was now time to ask the questions that had plagued her since the failed wedding. "So, what you're sayin' is that you would've married me even if your father didn't have the Nannichuan for me?"

"Hai. I shouldn't have let him use the water to...bribe, I guess is the right thing to call it...me into marrying you. I really wanted to. But then you denied what you'd said at Jusendo and I got mad. Then the others showed up and wrecked the whole thing, too. If it hadn't been for them, we would have been married now, you know."

Ranma-onna looked down at her feet. "Yeah, well, I was kinda stupid, too, wasn't I? And...I jumped to conclusions of my own, too. You see, I thought you were only marrying me because of the fact that I would be a whole man again and all, which is what I wanted for you. But, well, I also felt that you were because you felt sorry for me. Kinda like how you took P-chan in and all. See what I'm gettin' at?"

Akane let the explanation run through her head a couple of times before responding. "I guess so. I took the chance for you to get cured so that it would make you happy. When it was lost, well, I still wanted to marry you. Afterwards, though, we drew apart for some reason. But, I think we're better for all of it now. In fact, I think we've grown up a bit since then. Finally admitted to ourselves how we felt and all."

Ranma nodded, looking up at Akane. "I know what you mean. After having spent ten years on the road with Oyaji, I suddenly had a home at the Tendo dojo. I grew fond of you after a while. Tofu-sensei was the one that clued me in on how nice you really could be, but you never were with me all that much, except when I needed help now and again." She gathered even more courage to continue. It didn't seem fair that Akane would be the only one to say some things. "Then, at Ryugenzawa, I finally realized that I did love you because of a conversation that Ryoga and I had. But I didn't know how you felt. You was always blaming me for stuff and never gave me a chance to explain anything, when most of the time it wasn't my fault."

"I realize that now. I'm sorry for all the bashings when Shampoo glomped you. You never encouraged her, really, except that once." Ranma-onna winced at the reminder. "Though you didn't try real hard to get away, but still..."

Ranma-onna held up a finger, interrupting Akane. "Ah, as to that, there's not much of a way to get away from those, you know."

"Eh?"

Suddenly, Akane felt the effects of a full Amazon-style glomp. She tried to pry Ranma-onna off, only to find that any movements were hindered by the fact that her hands went onto places left unexplored for the time being. When she reached back to pull Ranma-onna's hands apart and away from her neck, their breasts were crushed together even more.

After a moment of Akane's struggles, Ranma-onna let go. Taking a few deep breaths, she cooled herself off as best as she could.

"I-I see what you mean," Akane said, huffing a little, not having imagined how it had affected Ranma when Shampoo had glomped him.

"Actually, I kinda liked it when you hit me away from her. I didn't have to deal with her for a while afterwards that way, you know. So it's no big deal. As for you hitting me, you wouldn't have been able to if I decided not to get hit , you know. But it was the only thing I could think of to keep you from getting even madder. And, in a sick sort of way, I felt like you did care. All Oyaji ever did was fight and give bad advice most of the time, so it wasn't all that new for you to be poundin' on me. That's the only sort of affection that I got from him, so..."

Akane nodded, smiling at his explanation. Although not a psychologist or the sort, she understood what he was alluding to. Also, she'd gained a certain amount of satisfaction from pounding on Ranma, too. Especially after Shampoo had the vexed expression afterwards from having Ranma being blasted away. "And I'm glad you only saw Ukyo as a best friend...or a sister, rather. We could have been friends, if not for the two of us being engaged to you at the same time. She's still mad at me, I think."

"Hmmm. Yeah, well, we might be able to fix that last part." Ranma-onna's brow creased in thought. "How about we meet at Ucchan's tomorrow for lunch? That way you two can make up and all."

Akane thought about it. The two of them really hadn't had any problems with each other except when it came to Ranma. As she'd said, they would probably have been friends otherwise. "Sure."

"Great." She shuffled her feet. "Well, I guess we're a couple again." She had wanted to keep Akane at a distance, but the other girl was more adamant about being with her than anything else. Though she had reservations about the whole thing, she was still happy otherwise.

Beaming happily, Akane said, "Yeah. Now that we've got all of our misunderstandings behind us. Well, how about we start over like you said?"

"I know I tried to get you to leave me, but...I'm glad you wanted to be with me. But you've gotta understand why I wanted to do it. It hurt me, too, not having you around. I just couldn't get you out of my mind. Every time I turned around, I was thinking of you." She walked up to Akane, looking her in the eye. "Arigato."

This time, Ranma-onna was the one to instigate the kiss.

When they parted, they held each other for a moment. Finally, Ranma-onna said, "I think we should keep it quiet for a while, you know?" Her eyes pleaded with Akane to understand.

Akane nodded. "I'm tired of our parents, too. Let's let them sweat for a little while. I leave in about a week to go to the dorms. I think we can keep it quiet until then, don't you?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure that Ucchan doesn't say anything if she does find out. Besides, I leave the day after tomorrow to go looking for an apartment. So I'll only be able to see you tomorrow before you leave. Makes keeping this secret easier. Oh, and I saw someone that talks to Nabiki on a regular basis spying on us at the restaurant. So she shouldn't know about us meeting up here because I didn't follow you right away."

"Good. She leaves the same day I do, too."

"There's one more thing, though," Ranma-onna said nervously. Her stomach knotted.

"What is it, Ranma?"

"Well, you've always been sayin' that you wanted me to train with you and all. Seriously, that is. Right?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Her heart started to race again. Is he really going to train with me? She could barely contain her excitement.

As Ranma-onna grabbed Akane's shoulder, gripping her tightly, a tear threatening to leak out. "Brace yourself, Akane. It's gonna hurt. It's...it's the first step, I think."

Seeing the clenched fist at the other woman's side, Akane nodded. The symbolism of the blow that was about to land was not lost on her. Ranma had a problem hitting girls. And she knew that she, herself, was one of the top ones that were in that category.

This blow would also signify something else, too. While other schools used the belt system, the Anything Goes school didn't. When a student received a higher belt, they were usually given a punch or kick to the stomach. And this was what Akane was about to receive, she knew. Her ascension to another realm of martial arts was about to happen. Her martial arts skills were going to go from the mundane into the supernatural, as she'd seen Ranma and his friends/enemies go to. It was now her time.

Clenching her stomach, she waited for the blow.

Even though it was pulled, the jab into Akane's gut made her breath whoosh out explosively. She was bent over, gagging and trying to get her lungs to working again. Ranma-onna held her, jaw grinding the entire time.

Akane stood there for a moment, regaining lost motor functions and bringing her breathing back to a semblance of normality. Standing upright, she said, "Arigato, Ranma. You know how much this means to me. I'm glad that you're finally taking me seriously now." There would be a bruise, but it was one that she was glad for.

With a hug and a lingering kiss, they parted ways, each with a silly grin plastered to their faces.

Nabiki watched as Akane entered the house. She saw that Akane was relaxed, more so than what her eyes and ears had reported. They had lost her when she'd run from the restaurant. Akane saw Nabiki watching her and decided that it was a good time to start the deception she and Ranma had decided on. She walked over and sat on the sofa with Nabiki.

"Well, it didn't go like everybody was hoping for." She looked at Nabiki, their eyes meeting.

Nabiki raised her eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean? Hoping for? Who was hoping for anything?"

Akane's laugh mocked her. "Why, me and Ranma getting back together. That's why you sent me off to that restaurant for lunch, isn't it? Well, it didn't work." She grew somber, twiddling her fingers. "He doesn't want to be engaged to me anymore because everyone else wants it. I left it up to him to decide. We both knew what was going on, it was so obvious."

Nabiki cursed silently to herself. The reports had said that Ranma had apparently followed her, trying to make up. But what Akane was saying was not what was indicated. But she wasn't going to stop her questioning. "So, what happened in the end?"

"Well, since our fathers are old friends, we decided that being friends ourselves is probably about the best. I'm the one who broke the engagement, so it wasn't really my place to say we were engaged again." Akane was playing with half truths much like Nabiki did. "But the main reason he didn't want to get engaged was because our father wanting us to get married. I mean, would you want to be stuck in something like that?"

As planned, Nabiki didn't catch the play in words. She shook her head, knowing just how close she had been to being engaged to Ranma. And her opinion wasn't too high of him, just that her younger sister and Ranma were an even match. But her mind was still working on how to bring two together, even as she looked at Akane.

Before Nabiki could bring anything else to the fore, Akane stood up and headed upstairs, leaving Nabiki to her own thoughts. The younger woman was humming to herself as she entered her room. She knew the truth of the matter and that's all that counted. Leaping onto her bed and bouncing, she buried her face in her pillow and started laughing at everyone involved with the scheme. It had worked as they had planned, but they didn't know that it had borne any fruit. In fact, they thought it had fizzled.

Turning to her window, she started to recall the lingering moments she'd had with Ranma. Touching her lips, she smiled and lay back, enjoying the tingling feel the memory brought.

Akane entered Ucchan's apprehensively. There was still some bad blood between the two of them, but that couldn't be helped. What could be helped, though, was to reconcile. They'd been through too much in times past to keep the anger towards each other.

Besides, if she was going to be close to Ranma, that meant she'd encounter Ukyo more often than not. Especially considering they were siblings.

Ukyo, whose back was towards from the doorway, turned to greet her latest customer. Upon seeing that it was Akane, she stiffened and turned a glare at Ranma. He let it go, indicating for Akane to sit next to him at the counter. She took the invitation.

When Akane sat down, Ukyo went about to other customers, ignoring the two. Konatsu placed a cup of tea in front of Akane with a soft greeting of his own. Akane sipped from the cup, looking over at Ranma. His face was a neutral mask as he watched his sister talk animatedly to one of her regulars. Reaching out, Akane placed her hand on his arm, dragging his attention away and towards herself.

Ranma's arm burned from where Akane was touching him. Shifting his arm, he caught her had as she pulled it away, grasping it lightly before letting Akane have it back to herself. Ukyo noted this out of the corner of her eye. Once more, her back stiffened. She continued her cold shoulder to the two for several more minutes.

Finally, she turned to her former rival, saying, "Well, it looks like you're in Ranchan's good graces again. I don't really see why, though."

Akane's timid smile slipped and she looked down and over to Ranma, pleading for some support. Seeing this, he spoke up in her defense. "She didn't come here to get her head bit off, Ucchan. We're all friends here, so why don't we act like it, eh?"

Ukyo gave him a level look before nodding in acquiescence. She knew how Ranma really felt about Akane. It was just the way her former rival had treated him before that irritated her to no end. But she was willing to listen...for the time being. "Okay. Well, what do you two want to eat, then?"

"Just the usual for me," Ranma replied. He looked over at Akane.

"Just today's special, please," Akane ordered. Taking their orders in stride, Ukyo started whipping up their meal skillfully. Gathering her courage, Akane asked, "So, um, how've you been, Ukyo? We haven't talked much since school, really."

She was about to give a scathing reply, but the look that Ranma was giving her stopped it short. Instead, she said, "I've been doing okay. I saw my father, but I cut my stay short just a bit. And, a few days ago, I became a Saotome."

Ukyo tried using the fact that she was closer to Ranma now than Akane was, but it didn't have the effect that she'd intended. She was expecting some kind of reaction out of Akane, but there was none. Seeing this, her suspicions started to grow. The way they were throwing glances at each other, the brief hand holding, and the other small things were starting to add up.

"Yes, Ranma told me that the two of you were brother and sister now. Congratulations." Akane smiled sweetly, throwing the barb back at Ukyo, recognizing it for what it was.

Ukyo just grunted.

Tired of the verbal by-play, Ranma found it was time to start the peace making process. "Ucchan," he started, getting her attention. "What's the problem you have with Akane? Because she was a fiancée, the way we fought, or just on general principal?" His questions were direct, making Ukyo stop what she was doing and look him in the eye.

Another customer's order saved Ukyo from answering immediately. She thought about what she was going to say. Turning back to Ranma, she started to answer, but Ranma interrupted her.

"Y'know, you two are pretty much the same. You two have about the same method of showing your displeasure. It's just a difference in how long it takes for you to do it. Akane, y'see, hits and forgets. Sure, she'll simmer for awhile, but then everything's fine. You, on the other hand, let it boil until it spills over. Then you start hitting anyone in sight. Am I right?"

This caused Ukyo to pause for a moment. She saw Akane peeking over at Ranma curiously. He'd never really shown any type of intellect or social skills before. Ukyo had gotten glimpses of it before Ranma had left for the summer, but it was still a surprise. She bit her lip in thought before replying. "She was always hitting you for the simplest things. Just coming over here for a quick okonomiyaki, insulting her cooking, or some other stupid thing." Akane bristled, but stayed quiet. "She had you the entire time and abused you. And you let her do it!"

Ranma chuckled good-naturedly. He squeezed Akane's hand reassuringly. "Do you really think that if I didn't want to get hit at the time, I couldn't have just dodged? She's good, but she still can't hit me when I don't want to get hit. But I was at fault a lot of the time, too. If I hadn't insulted her all of the time, then we might have gotten along a bit better. There's two sides to the coin, Ucchan. Though I didn't do anything physical to her, I did give her some sucker punches."

Ukyo stared at Ranma for a moment before turning to Akane, who was looking into her tea. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up at Ukyo. She nodded, confirming what Ranma had said.

But Ranma wasn't finished. "Did you ever hear about what was going on when I first got to the dojo?" Ukyo shook her head. She didn't recall anything at the moment. "Well, Kuno offered a challenge to the school, saying that if they wanted to date Akane, she had to be defeated. There were a few dozen guys that actually believed it. Then I come along and beat her in a fight. I didn't hit her or nothin', but she wasn't able to hit me at all.

"In her own words, I was her 'worst nightmare'." Akane jumped, as if struck, looking at Ranma in bewilderment. She didn't know where he'd gotten this information. "Think of it. Some guy she doesn't know beats her in a fight. What could she do if he wanted to take advantage of her? So she decided to start pounding the daylights out of me.

"Then, seeing that I wasn't going to take advantage of her, she probably would have stopped eventually. But, ah, I kept egging her on about this or that. Calling her kawaikune, tomboy, or other things just irritated the hell out of her. Can't really say as I blame her. I knew that her calling me a pervert all the time got on my nerves, too."

Akane smiled weakly at Ukyo, who was looking at her thoughtfully. Ukyo was digesting the information, trying to decide whether or not forgiveness was in order.

After a time, she nodded. Ranma had forgiven her for many things, as well as Akane. If Akane was still willing to be friends, even though Ukyo, herself, had helped destroy the wedding, then she felt the need to do so herself. "All right. Friends." She reached her hand out, pinky extended. Seeing this, Akane's smile broadened and she extended her own pinky, clasping Ukyo's.

Sighing, Ranma sat back on his stool. This brought Akane's attention to him. Curiously, she asked, "How did you know that I said that, by the way? 'Worst nightmare', that is?"

Ranma paused for a moment, gazing into his tea. The memory he was bringing forth had been a true turning point between the two. One of several, but it had been something of note to himself. That's why he hadn't forgotten it. "Y'know the second day that I was at the dojo? After school, I was gonna come and thank you for sticking up for me against Kuno while I was changing.

"When I walked up to your room, you and Nabiki were talking. Just as I was about to knock on your door, I heard you say that I was your 'worst nightmare'. Well, after that, I decided that I wasn't gonna give you any room or a chance. It didn't last long, but it still stuck with me."

It was Akane's turn to pause in thought. She didn't remember the incident, but didn't discount Ranma's memory, even though he'd shown a remarkable tendency to forget. "There's a lot of things that I'm sorry for saying."

Ranma's smile slipped a little, but it came back almost immediately. Ukyo shifted uncomfortably, thinking of the things she'd done that she was sorry for. The general air of discomfort finally faded.

"So, ah, what's the deal with you two," Ukyo finally ventured. "It seems like you've put things behind you and started all over." She watched closely as she asked the last. "Thinking of renewing the engagement?"

Ranma's face showed his guilt on the subject, while Akane was able to hide hers. He tried playing it off with a smirk and a shake of his head, but Ukyo wasn't going to buy it. Ranma's poker face still wasn't able to fool anyone. Ukyo gave the two of them a level look, indicating that she wasn't being fooled whatsoever.

"After all the fighting and everything, you still decided to go back to being engaged? That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

It was Ranma's laughter that irritated her the most. "Is this a jealous ex-fiancée or an angry sister talking," he rebutted. "There's a bit more between us than the fighting. I doubt you'd understand, but the time away from each other this summer was what we needed the most. Time to think things through, see what we wanted, and to finally admit some things to ourselves."

Ukyo looked at him skeptically. "Yeah, right. That still doesn't explain why you two are going through with the engagement, though."

"We're actually going to try being friends before fiancées," Akane spoke up. "Even though we admitted things to each other, we're still not ready for that step. If ever." Though she said the last, there was no doubt with the look she gave Ranma what she was thinking.

"And we don't want you blabbing to Mom and Oyaji about this, either," Ranma growled. "We don't want any trouble from our parents. They were most of the problem all the way from the start. If they hadn't had some of their hair-brained ideas to wreck things, we might have gotten along better than we did. But they kept pushing. Now, though, without them knowing about how things are, we might be able to come to terms with each other."

Waving her hand in a placating manner, Ukyo said, "Don't worry about it." A quizzical frown graced her features. Turning to Ranma, she asked, "By the way, how long have you had feelings for Akane?" It was a hunch she'd just gotten, but she wasn't going to let it go.

Ranma just shrugged. "Awhile."

The frown was joined by a scowl. "What do you mean by 'awhile'?"

Looking over at Akane for any type of support, he found her looking at him quizzically. "Just awhile, y'know?" He felt the tension in the immediate area rise, which caused him to shudder. "B-before...ah...you came along, y'know."

Ukyo just sighed. "That's what I thought. Why'd you lead me on, then?"

"I wasn't really plannin' on leading you on. You just had a sudden change of heart on killin' me. I thought that, if I could buy some time, I could satisfy your honor without having to marry you."

Ranma missed the fact that Ukyo had been reaching for her giant spatula while looking at the counter in front of him. But the pain centers on his head felt the impact of it, as well as his face impacting on the counter he was staring at. With a muffled groan, he slid off of his stool.

"Serves the jerk right for leading me on." Ukyo looked over at Akane, hefting her spatula. "If I'm not wrong, you liked him just as long, too, eh?"

Akane looked down at the prone form of Ranma and then back at Ukyo, swallowing a lump in her throat. She smiled weakly.

With a resigned sigh, Ukyo let the spatula fall. "Don't worry, sugar. I'm not going to hit you. It's not your fault that Ranchan's insensitive. Or blind as a fool, either. But I wish you two would have saved me the trouble and admitted things a lot earlier, instead of letting me get strung along all that time."

Rubbing his head, Ranma pulled himself off of the floor and sat in his seat once more. "Awww, poor Ranma," Akane said condescendingly. The next instant, he found himself plastered to the wall where she had stiff-armed him. "Serves you right, baka." Ukyo and Akane shared a look before bursting out into laughter. "Well, Ukyo, I need to be getting home. Thanks for the okonomiyaki."

"Sure thing. I'll make sure he gets home."

Akane walked out of the restaurant. She almost turned back around to finish the job when she heard 'kawaiikune' being uttered.

Ranma managed to gather his wits and get back into place for a second time. He looked none the worse for wear, considering he had a smile plastered on his face. "Just like old times."

Ukyo shook her head, muttering, "Masochist."

Shrugging, Ranma took note of the time. "I'm headin' home. See you later, Ucchan." They waved to each other as he walked out.

Ranma looked about himself, hiding his pleasure. Rather well, in fact, considering he had no poker face whatsoever. His mother had arranged for the Saotome and Tendo families to enjoy one last meal before Nabiki, Akane, and himself left for college. Sitting beside him was Akane, which probably wasn't by chance. This didn't bother him, considering he was surreptitiously inhaling her jasmine perfume and enjoying her presence beside him.

Across from them were their parents, looking upon the three young adults proudly. There were underlying tones, that both he and Akane felt when their eyes would linger on the two for more than a moment. But their fathers were keeping quiet, possibly from some threat given earlier. But the two were secure with themselves and the knowledge of their new peace between themselves and the lack of information concerning this their parents had.

The meal was shortly underway. A feast laid out before the two Saotome men was being greedily consumed. With some measure of control, Ranma forced himself to eat slowly, rather than inhaling whatever was in front of him. His father, on the other had, had to be restrained by his mother and the constant pokes he received. Ukyo helped as well. She was quite enthusiastic about elbowing him.

During the entire meal, Ranma could feel eyes watching him. Looking about, he saw Nabiki glancing at him. She seemed curious as to why the two hadn't said anything to each other if there was a supposed peace, besides the polite greeting. Ranma smirked to himself. Keeping Nabiki out of the loop was one of the things he wanted for the time being. She'd caused so much trouble before that he felt she really didn't deserve much...in his opinion.

As for Kasumi and Ono, they were in their own world, talking about how well she was doing at her part time job at his clinic. She was glad to have someone else cooking and cleaning, Ranma saw, so she could spend time with her boyfriend.

All in all, the meal was peaceful. No interruptions occurred, much to Ranma's relief. The entire time, he and Akane were brushing their arms against each other, reveling in the contact. They kept it to a minimum, not allowing the others to catch on to what was going on. When they finished and were leaning back, enjoying a cup of tea, Ranma decided that then was a good time to make a few announcements.

Clearing his throat, he got everyone's attention, who's been talking amongst themselves. He turned to his mother and bowed, saying, "Thanks, Mother, for getting all of us together and everything. I have a few things I wanna say." His mother smiled at him, accepting his thanks.

"Well, where to start...Guess I should say that, yes, I'm going off to college. Thought I was going to just start teaching or something, right? Nah. At school, the guys were talking about how much college was needed to make a living nowadays. So I decided to give it a shot. Physical education is going to be my major, I guess, since teaching martial arts is kinda along those lines. And I might get something about teaching. Dunno if I'll need it, but I'll find out when I'm there.

"As for the Art, you guys aren't going to believe this." Reaching behind himself, Ranma picked up the package he'd brought. Carefully unwrapping it, he pulled the dogi he'd earned from his test. Instantly, Genma and Soun were alert, recognizing it for what it was. "I got tested while I was on my training trip this summer. And now I'm a Grand Master in the Art of Kempo."

Everyone not having realized what he was holding, gasped. Ranma waited for them to calm down with the congratulations before continuing. "Now that I've done this, I'm thinking of challenging the old freak for the school."

If announcing he'd earned Grand Master caused an uproar, telling them he was going to take the school away from Happosai was tantamount of a small riot around the table.

Akane put one hand on Ranma's arm, looking at him in concern. "Are you sure you can beat him, Ranma?"

Smiling confidently, Ranma said, "Sure I can. You wouldn't believe the training I got while I was away." He pointed over at his father, who was grinning broadly at Soun and pulling a sake bottle to his lips. "Oyaji knows a little of what happened and how good I've gotten. If I can get the school, then we won't have to be under the ol' pervert's thumb about who we can and can't teach. As well as how we teach the Art."

Nabiki popped into the conversation with a question of her own. "What are you going to do with him after you've beat him, Ranma? He's not going to be too happy if you take one of the few things he likes away, you know. He is pretty childish in his own way."

Ranma looked at his hands for a moment before replying. "We'll have to see what happens when that time comes. But, when he first came here, he decided I was going to inherit the school. Well, I'm about ready to get the school for myself now. If he doesn't like that, then...we'll just have to deal with him then."

It was the answer Nabiki expected from Ranma. Fight and think later. But there was nothing she could do to help at the moment. He had thought about it, much to her relief. It just couldn't be helped that, with this situation, such a tactic was necessary, considering how unpredictable Happosai was sometimes.

It didn't take long for the dinner to change to a drinking party for Soun and Genma. They were celebrating in advance their freedom from Happosai. Nodoka and Kasumi gathered up their respective families and headed home, leaving the two with each other to enjoy themselves.

Ranma took his leave of his mother, as soon as they reached their home. He raced upstairs, making it seem as if he were going to bed. As he sat in the dark, he heard his mother prepare herself for the same thing. Time passed as he waited patiently.

Satisfied, he opened his window quietly, slipping outside. Getting his bearings, he headed off towards the Tendo dojo.

Upon arriving, he saw that the downstairs light was on, indicating that Kasumi was waiting for Soun to come back home after partying. Nabiki's light was out. A quick check confirmed that she was in her bed.

Hopping to the roof, Ranma made his way to the place right above Akane's own window. With familiar ease, he hung upside down, tapping gently on the glass.

Akane looked up, already having been half asleep. Alarmed, she sat upright, not recognizing the silhouette for whom it was. Picking up a weight, she hefted it, striding over to the window. Flinging it open, she finally realized who it was that had disturbed her.

Pensively, she said, "What do you want, Ranma? I was almost asleep and you have to get up early in the morning to catch your train." She crossed her arms in front of her, the weight still gripped in her right hand.

In reply, Ranma flipped and landed on the window sill, his face inches from hers. "Ah, well. I just wanted to see you before I took off. It'll be a week before you go to school, too, so I wanted to stop by."

Akane brightened at this, placing the weight on her desk. Reaching out, she took hold of Ranma's collar and pulled him in for a kiss. "That's so sweet."

They savored each other's lips. Ranma's cologne was driving her wild as she inhaled deeply. Ranma supported her as he knees almost buckled underneath her. They were in the middle of this when the doorknob clicked. Whirling around, Akane turned to find Kasumi entering.

"Akane, are you okay? I heard voices in here," Kasumi said in concern.

Trying to find words, Akane just gawked at Kasumi. *We're caught,* Akane thought. She turned to see if Ranma was having the same problem as she with the loss for words.

But Ranma wasn't there to be caught. Only and errant breeze played with Akane's curtains playfully. Almost immediately, Akane's heart started to slow down. Turning back, she saw Kasumi waiting for an answer.

"Oh, ah...I was just looking outside and saw a shooting star. I was just wishing to have a good school year. That's, uh...all you heard." Kasumi seemed mollified with this answer as Akane smiled weakly.

"I'm sure it will be. Good night." So saying, Kasumi closed the door and headed for her own room.

"Whew," Akane sighed in relief. Turning to the window, she found that Ranma had returned. His smile was infectious. Now whispering, she said, "That was close, Ranma. One second later and we would have been caught. Though I don't think Kasumi would say anything to Father, I don't want to chance it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He slipped inside the room even further, standing beside Akane.

Their bodies melded together as they kissed once more. Goosebumps sprang out all over Akane's body, and not due to the cool wind and her thin cotton pajamas. Ranma was enjoying every minute of it. Feeling Akane's shiver, he pulled her closer into his embrace.

Breaking the kiss, Ranma sat back onto the desk, their foreheads touching and looking into each other's eyes. "I never realized how much I really missed you, y'know," Ranma said after a moment. "Every little thing reminded me of you. But, having you here now, I see how much you were a part of my life, even while I was gone."

This caused Akane to swoon. Sighing contentedly, she settled her head on his shoulder. After a moment, Ranma felt her tears soaking his shirt. His arms tightened around her protectively. There were no words that would come to the fore, so he just held her quietly.

They sat like that for awhile. Finally, Akane pulled away to look at Ranma in the eye. "Thanks, Ranma. I appreciate you showing up tonight. But this kawaiikune tomboy needs to get her beauty sleep."

They chuckled lightly. Nodding, Ranma led Akane to her bed. He tucked her in, eliciting another contented sigh from her. One final kiss, he bade her goodnight and leapt out the window, closing it behind himself as he headed home.

As Ranma leapt for his own home, he pondered the fact of how things had worked out between the two. Even after all the meddling from others, they'd found each other again. And were stronger for it, somehow. Though he hadn't relished the fact that they'd been tricked into being separated, it seemed to have been for the best.

Arriving home, he lay down on his futon, staring up at the ceiling. He would be leaving in the morning to find an apartment. Akane would be right on his heels in order to get to her dorm room. Not a long separation for the two, considering the summer they'd spent apart.

When they got together again, he'd be able to steal kisses from her more often. And without the problem of having meddlesome family members to watch out for. With that thought in mind, he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
